The final statement of the extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic summit held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, today, Monday, affirmed in the strongest terms the horrific and shocking crimes being committed by the Israeli occupation army in the Gaza Strip, in the context of the crime of genocide, including mass graves, the crime of torture, field execution, enforced disappearance, looting and ethnic cleansing, especially in the northern part of the Strip, during the past weeks.

The Security Council called for the formation of an independent and credible international investigation committee to investigate these crimes, and to take serious steps to prevent the concealment of evidence and proof, hold the perpetrators accountable, and ensure that they do not escape punishment.

He stressed the centrality of the Palestinian cause and the firm support for the Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate and inalienable national rights, foremost among which is their right to freedom and an independent, sovereign state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of refugees to return and compensation in accordance with the relevant international legitimacy resolutions, especially Resolution 194, and to confront any attempts to deny or undermine these rights, and that the Palestinian cause is like all just causes of peoples struggling to be freed from occupation and achieve their rights.

He reiterated the full sovereignty of the State of Palestine over occupied East Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Palestine, and rejected any Israeli decisions or measures aimed at Judaizing it and consolidating its colonial occupation of it, considering them null and void and illegitimate under international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, and that Holy Jerusalem is a red line for the Arab and Islamic nations, and the absolute solidarity in protecting the Arab and Islamic identity of occupied East Jerusalem and in defending the sanctity of the Islamic and Christian holy sites there.

The final statement affirmed absolute support for the Lebanese Republic, its security, stability, sovereignty and the safety of its citizens.

He stressed the decisions issued by the first extraordinary joint summit in Riyadh in November 2023, and renewed the confrontation of the brutal Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and working to end its disastrous humanitarian repercussions on civilians; children, women, elderly and defenseless civilians, and continuing to move, in coordination with the international community, to put an end to the serious Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law, and Israel’s endangerment of regional and international peace and security, and reaffirming the decisions of the 33rd Arab Summit held in the Kingdom of Bahrain in May 2024, and the 15th Islamic Summit held in the Republic of Gambia in May 2024.

He warned of the danger of the escalation sweeping the region and its regional and international consequences, and of the expansion of the aggression that has lasted more than a year on the Gaza Strip, and has extended to include the Lebanese Republic, and of the violation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran, without decisive measures from the United Nations and with the failure of international legitimacy.

He stressed all relevant resolutions issued by the United Nations General Assembly, including Resolution No. 10/22-A/RES/ES on the protection of civilians and adherence to legal and humanitarian obligations dated 10 December 2023, and the resolutions issued by the Security Council, and the need for the Security Council to adopt a binding resolution under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, to compel Israel, the occupying power, to cease fire in the Gaza Strip, and to provide immediate and adequate humanitarian assistance to all areas of the Strip, and to implement Security Council resolutions 2735 (2024), 2728 (2024), 2720 (2023), 2712 (2023), which call for taking urgent steps to immediately allow the delivery of humanitarian assistance in a broad, safe and unhindered manner, and Resolution No. 2728, which calls for a ceasefire, as well as resolutions affirming the right of the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable rights, including the right to self-determination, national independence and the right of refugees to return, and resolutions affirming the permanent responsibility of the United Nations. The United Nations on the Palestinian issue until it is resolved in all its aspects; calling on the Security Council to respond to the international consensus expressed in the United Nations General Assembly resolution dated May 10, 2024 that the State of Palestine is qualified for full membership in the United Nations by issuing a resolution granting the State of Palestine full membership in the United Nations, and urging member states to mobilize the necessary support to adopt the resolution.

He stressed support for the great and appreciated efforts made by the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Qatar in cooperation with the United States of America to achieve an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages and prisoners, and to hold Israel responsible for the failure of these efforts as a result of the Israeli government’s withdrawal from the agreements reached by the negotiators.

He called on the international community to implement all the provisions of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice dated 19 July 2024 towards ending the Israeli occupation, removing its effects, and paying compensation for its damages, as soon as possible.

He condemned the crime of enforced disappearance committed by the Israeli occupation forces since the beginning of the current aggression against thousands of Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip and throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, including children, women and the elderly, in addition to the abuse, repression, torture and degrading treatment to which they are subjected, calling on the member states of the United Nations to work at all levels to uncover the fate of the kidnapped, work to release them immediately, ensure the provision of protection for them, and demand an independent and transparent investigation into this crime, including the execution of some of them.

The statement strongly condemned the continued and persistent Israeli aggression against Lebanon and the violation of its sovereignty and the sanctity of its territories, and called for an immediate ceasefire and the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) in all its provisions, stressing solidarity with the Lebanese Republic in confronting this aggression and strongly condemning the deliberate targeting of the Lebanese army and its centers, which led to the fall of a number of martyrs and wounded in its ranks, as well as the killing of civilians, the systematic destruction of residential areas, the forced displacement of people, and the targeting of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and stressing support for the Lebanese constitutional institutions in exercising their authority and extending the sovereignty of the Lebanese state over all its territories, and stressing in this regard support for the Lebanese Armed Forces as the guarantor of Lebanon's unity and stability, and emphasizing the importance of expediting the election of a president of the republic and the formation of a government based on the provisions of the Lebanese constitution and the implementation of the Taif Agreement.

He stressed his rejection of the displacement of Palestinian citizens inside or outside their land, considering it a war crime and a flagrant violation of international law, "which we will confront together."

He condemned the policy of collective punishment pursued by Israel and the use of siege and starvation as a weapon against civilians in the Gaza Strip, calling on the international community to take immediate practical steps to end the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the aggression, including forcing Israel to withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip and open all crossings between it and the Strip, and lift all restrictions and obstacles to safe, rapid and unconditional humanitarian access to the Strip, in implementation of its obligations as the occupying power, and in the same context, calling for the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the Rafah crossing and from the Salah al-Din (Philadelphi) axis, and for the Palestinian National Authority to return to manage the Rafah crossing, and to resume work on the 2005 Movement and Access Agreement, in a manner that allows the regular work of relief organizations and the resumption of the flow of aid in a safe and effective manner.

He stressed the need to join efforts to implement the outcomes of the Emergency Humanitarian Response Conference in Gaza, hosted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, jointly organized with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United Nations on June 11, 2024, and to mobilize the necessary support for the humanitarian conference that Cairo will host on December 2, 2024, in the context of efforts to provide adequate humanitarian support to the sector.

He called on the international community to take effective action to compel Israel to respect international law, and to denounce the double standards in the application of international law, international humanitarian law, and the United Nations Charter, warning that this double standard seriously undermines the credibility of the countries that protect Israel and place it above accountability, and the credibility of multilateral action, and exposes the selectivity in the application of the system of humanitarian values.

He welcomed General Assembly resolution 10/24-A/RES/ES of 18 September 2024, which adopted the outcomes of the legal advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the illegality of the Israeli occupation.

He called on all countries of the world, their legislative bodies, and all international institutions and organizations to abide by the resolutions of international legitimacy regarding the city of Jerusalem and its legal and historical status, as an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967.