Arab countries “embargo Israel’s arms and suspend its UN membership”

Summit of 57 countries… Trump calls for ‘immediate ceasefire’ ahead of second term

Condemning the Gaza genocide… Support for the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state

Saudi Crown Prince Bin Salman: Israel must not invade Iranian territory

Leaders of Arab countries are taking a commemorative photo at the joint summit of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 11th (local time). EPAYonhap News

Ahead of the inauguration of the second term of the Donald Trump administration in the United States, leaders of Arab and Muslim countries condemned the genocide committed by Israel in the Palestinian Gaza Strip and Lebanon and called for an end to the war and sanctions from the international community.

At the joint summit of the Arab League (AL) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on the 11th (local time), the leaders of 57 member countries announced that countries around the world would impose an arms embargo on Israel and that Israel would be granted UN membership. A closing statement was adopted calling for a suspension. In a statement, each country called for an immediate ceasefire, saying, “We condemn in the strongest terms the horrific and shocking crimes, including genocide and ethnic cleansing, committed by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip.”

He also referred to Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem as the “eternal capital” of Palestine, criticized “all Israeli measures to strengthen its colonial occupation,” and supported the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state. At the same time, he urged Israel to withdraw from Arab territories it had occupied since 1967. This means the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights.

Israel has been expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and on this day, Israeli far-right politician Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance, said that former US President Trump’s return to power was “an important opportunity to apply Israeli sovereignty to settlements in the West Bank.” The intention to merge districts was made explicit.

This remark takes into account the fact that during President-elect Trump’s first term in office, he accepted Israel’s claim that Jerusalem was its capital, moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, and supported the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, thus siding with Israel. The international community has defined Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem and construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank as an ‘illegal occupation’ in violation of international law.

This joint statement is interpreted as the first message from the Arab and Muslim world to President-elect Trump, who won the US presidential election held on the 5th. “This summit is a useful opportunity for Middle Eastern leaders to inform the incoming Trump administration of their views on how the United States should intervene,” said Anna Jacobs, senior Middle East analyst at the International Crisis Group.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, the host country of the summit, defined Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon as “genocide” and urged, “Israel must immediately stop its military actions against our brothers.” He also urged the international community to put the brakes on Israel, saying, “Iran’s sovereignty must be respected and its territory must not be violated,” regarding Iran, Saudi Arabia’s rival.

Saudi Arabia, a Sunni suzerain, and Iran, a Shia leader, have been competing for hegemony in the Middle East. Diplomatic relations were severed in January 2016, but diplomatic relations were restored through Chinese mediation in March last year and the contact area has recently been expanded.