AMMAN, Jordan: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Sunday that the Israeli government’s refusal to allow a delegation of Arab ministers to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank showed its “extremism and rejection of peace.”
Prince Faisal was addressing a joint press conference with counterparts from Jordan, Egypt, and Bahrain in Amman after attending the meeting of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee on Gaza Strip, the Saudi Gazette reported.
Members of the Ministerial Committee assigned by the Joint Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit on Gaza met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman earlier today to discuss ceasefire efforts in the Gaza Strip and a post-war plan.
On Saturday, Israel said it would not allow a planned meeting on Sunday in the Palestinian administrative capital of Ramallah to go ahead.
The Saudi Foreign Minister underscored that the creation of an independent Palestinian state is the only viable solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“The committee praised the reform agenda that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is working on,” Prince Faisal said as quoted by the Saudi Gazette.
He stressed that the Palestinian Authority is facing a party that does not want any solutions. “The Palestinian Authority continues to fulfil its duties and is committed to the agreements. The authority is considered the rational party in the crisis,” Prince Faisal said.
Prince Faisal emphasised the importance of the international community’s understanding of the true nature of Palestinian positions, which adopt a reformist approach to internal affairs, even in the most difficult circumstances.
“This is aimed to fulfil their responsibilities toward the Palestinian people first, and then toward their neighbours and the international community,” he said.
The Saudi Foreign Minister criticised Israel’s negative approach toward protecting Palestinian rights. “We see nothing but violence, and in Gaza, we see nothing but a war of extermination, and in the West Bank there are successive steps clearly aimed at weakening the Palestinian cause.”
Prince Faisal reiterated the Kingdom’s position that those who adopt the approach of “no solution except through a two-state solution” must adopt positions that support this approach, including recognition of Palestine.
The Saudi Foreign Minister emphasised that Israel’s actions, such as the refusal of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee’s entry to the Palestinian city of Ramallah, clearly demonstrate the extent of Israel’s understanding of the international position on the importance of alternative solutions.
In the same context, Prince Faisal presented a viewpoint on the rumours, emphasising the importance of countries that adopt a public policy stating that there is no solution to the Arab-Palestinian-Israeli conflict except through a viable two-state solution, underlining this position and allowing for the recognition of Palestine.
Saudi foreign minister also stressed that European positions on Israel are not sufficient, saying: “As Arabs and Muslims, we will not accept any solution other than the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
It is noteworthy that the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee on Gaza announced the postponement of its planned visit to Ramallah, scheduled for Sunday, due to Israel’s obstruction of its mission by refusing the delegation’s entry into the airspace of the occupied West Bank, which is controlled by Israel, according to a statement issued by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Jordan to attend the meeting of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee and support efforts to end the war and blockade on Gaza, as part of the committee’s ongoing world tours.
The Ministerial Committee, which consists of the foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain, along with the Secretary-General of the Arab League, held a video conference meeting in Amman on Sunday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his deputy, Hussein Al-Sheikh, and Mohammad Mustafa, the prime minister and minister of foreign affairs.
Ayman Al-Safadi, Jordan’s Foreign Minister, said that the “Israeli government continues to kill all the chances of peace in the region” after the committee visit was blocked on Saturday.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told Petra news agency that Jordan and Egypt will strongly confront all Israeli plans to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
