Riyadh is hosting an extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit today, a year after the previous summit, to discuss the continued Israeli aggression on Palestine and Lebanon, and regional developments. The summit aims to review the outcomes of the 2023 summit and assess the deteriorating situation in Gaza and Lebanon, where the number of martyrs in Gaza has exceeded 43,000, and in Lebanon more than 3,000.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan yesterday opened the preparatory ministerial meeting for the extraordinary Arab and Islamic summit in Riyadh, which will be held today, Monday. During the meeting, the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian territories and Lebanon were discussed, in addition to regional developments following the victory of US President Donald Trump.

The summit draft resolution was also discussed in preparation for presenting it to the leaders today, Monday, with coordination of positions between member states in a summit described as "fateful."

This summit is an extension of the joint Arab-Islamic summit held in Riyadh on February 11, 2023, which aimed to support efforts to stop the Israeli aggression, in coordination with the leaders of Arab and Islamic countries. The previous summit had issued decisions including breaking the siege on the Gaza Strip, allowing in humanitarian aid, calling on the Security Council to stop the aggression, and urging countries to stop exporting weapons to Israel. It also called for international investigations into Israeli war crimes, and called for holding an international peace conference based on the Arab Peace Initiative and implementing the "two-state solution."

Ministerial Meeting: Discussions and Expectations

The ministerial meeting discussed the agenda of the upcoming summit, which will address the most important issues up for discussion. The meeting was attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Eng. Waleed bin Abdul Karim Al-Khuraiji, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs Ambassador Dr. Saud Al-Sati, Undersecretary of the Ministry for Multilateral International Affairs, General Supervisor of the Ministry’s Agency for Public Diplomacy Affairs Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Rassi, and Director General of the Office of His Highness the Minister Abdulrahman Al-Daoud.

At the opening session of the summit, Hussein Ibrahim Taha, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, will deliver a speech, followed by speeches by Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Palestinian Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammad Mustafa, and Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Abu Habib.

The importance of the summit and the role of Saudi Arabia

The summit is of strategic importance, said Hussein Ibrahim Taha, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, who stressed that it reflects the commitment of Saudi Arabia and the member states of the organization to provide support to the Palestinians and enhance joint action to confront the Israeli aggression. Discussions will also focus on stopping the war in Gaza and Lebanon, coordinating positions in international forums, in addition to calling for the implementation of the two-state solution and holding the Israeli occupation accountable.

For his part, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, said that the summit is an opportunity to review Arab and Islamic positions and approaches in supporting the Palestinians and the Lebanese. Jamal Rushdi, spokesman for the League, pointed to the failure of the international will to stop the Israeli aggression despite numerous attempts, which requires greater efforts to pressure Israel.

UNRWA's role at the summit

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini is expected to participate in the summit to affirm Saudi Arabia's continued support for the agency in providing its humanitarian and relief services in various regions, including Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. UNRWA Media Advisor Adnan Abu Hasna stressed that Saudi Arabia is leading international efforts to protect the agency, noting that it has provided more than $1 billion to support UNRWA operations in the past decade.

Expected decisions

Today's summit aims to review the outcomes of the previous summit and evaluate the efforts made to stop the Israeli war in Gaza and Lebanon in light of the ongoing escalation. In this context, the preparatory meeting discussed the most important decisions expected to be taken at the summit, which include:

Intensifying international pressure to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza and Lebanon.

Strengthening humanitarian support and opening channels for the entry of aid.

Calling on the Security Council to take decisive action to stop the war.

Call on the International Criminal Court to investigate Israeli war crimes.

Assigning a ministerial committee to formulate an effective international move towards a comprehensive and just solution.

Supporting the Palestinian demand and calling for holding an international peace conference as soon as possible, with the aim of achieving permanent peace in accordance with the approved international references.

In this context, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, indicated that the chances of holding the conference are "very likely and feasible."