Saudi Arabia Hosts Extraordinary Summit to Address Gaza Crisis
RIYADH, Nov 11 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia convened leaders from Arab and Muslim nations on Saturday for an extraordinary joint Islamic-Arab summit in Riyadh. The kingdom is working to leverage its influence to urge the United States and Israel to end hostilities in Gaza.
Dozens of leaders, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, are participating in the summit. This gathering is expected to condemn Israel’s campaign in Gaza and call for an end to the forced displacement of Palestinians in the region.
Prominent figures in attendance include Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was welcomed back in the Arab League earlier this year. Raisi emphasized the need for action rather than talk, stating, “Today, the unity of the Islamic countries is very important.”
Iran is set to propose the banning of Israel from using Muslim countries’ airspace and to prevent the U.S. from shipping weapons to Israel from military bases in the region.
Addressing the conflict in Gaza, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman condemned the military assault and targeting of civilians, calling out the violations of international law by the Israeli authorities.
The Middle East has been on edge since Hamas fighters attacked Israel on Oct. 7, resulting in the death of 1,200 people. This sparked an escalation of hostilities, with 11,078 Gaza residents killed, 40% of them children, according to Palestinian officials.
Fighting near Gaza City’s overcrowded hospitals intensified overnight into Saturday, with Palestinian officials reporting explosions and gunfire. The ongoing conflict has reshaped traditional Middle East alliances as Saudi Arabia has started to engage more closely with Iran and oppose U.S. pressure to condemn Hamas.
Raisi’s attendance at the summit marks the first visit by an Iranian head of state since Tehran and Riyadh ended years of hostility under a China-brokered deal in March. The kingdom was scheduled to host two extraordinary summits – the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit and the Arab League summit – on Saturday and Sunday. However, the joint summit will replace the two separate gatherings in response to the “extraordinary” Gaza situation, as announced by the Saudi Foreign ministry.
Hamas has urged the summit to make a decisive decision to stop the Zionist aggression immediately, calling on Arab and Muslim leaders to put pressure on the U.S. administration, which it holds responsible for the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Arab foreign ministers have been divided in their response to the Gaza crisis, with some countries, led by Algeria, calling to sever all diplomatic ties with Israel, while a bloc of Arab countries with established diplomatic relations with Israel has stressed the need to keep communication channels open with the Israeli government.
Reporting By Aziz El Yaakoubi, Hatem Maher, Nayera Abdallah, Moaz Abd-Alaziz in Cairo and Dubai Newsroom; Writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Sandra Maler, William Maclean.