Saudi FM: Gaza aggression cannot be justified under the pretext of self-defense In meeting with Islamic Ministerial Committee, Lavrov calls for launching peace process based on two-state solution

MOSCOW — Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan voiced concern over the ongoing process of forced displacement of Palestinians by the Israeli occupation forces from the besieged Gaza Strip. "There is no real goal behind this war that only causes more suffering and destruction in Gaza. The pretext of self-dense cannot be used to justify the humanitarian tragedy," he said.
Prince Faisal made the remarks during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday. Prince Faisal, headed the Islamic Ministerial Committee delegation, on the second leg of its tour to meet members of the United Nations Security Council in their efforts to stop the military escalation, achieve truce, protect civilians, and expand the humanitarian corridor in Gaza.
The Saudi foreign minister called for an immediate ceasefire and lifting of the siege on Gaza, as well as for the release of the prisoners and hostages. Prince Faisal said that overlooking the heinous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians angered the Arab and Muslim world. "We cannot talk about the future of Gaza at this stage before a ceasefire is achieved and before all forms of violence against civilians and civilian areas are halted. What we witnessed was the selective application of international legal and moral standards and turning a blind eye to the heinous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against defenseless Palestinian civilians, which aroused the indignation of the Islamic and Arab world and sincere human feelings," he said.
Prince Faisal emphasized that the Arab-Islamic ministerial delegation looks forward to working with Russia and international partners to put an end to the crisis. While drawing attention to the blatant violation of international laws by Israel, the minister stated that launching a peace process to end the conflict requires activating an effective accountability mechanism towards the Israeli violations. "We are working to strengthen cooperation with international partners to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza," he said while stressing the need to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Members of the committee participated in the meeting with Lavrov included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan Ayman Safadi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri, Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad al-Maliki, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, and Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha.
Moscow is the second stop of the tour of the members of the Islamic Ministerial Committee, deputed by the Arab and Islamic Summit held in Riyadh on Nov. 11 to discuss the Gaza situation. The extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic Summit issued a resolution that tasked the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Palestine to initiate immediate international action, on behalf of all member states of the OIC and the Arab League, to end the Gaza conflict.
The first stop of the delegation was in China where the foreign ministers and OIC chief met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday. The committee is expected to visit the rest of the Security Council member states to discuss stopping the war in Gaza over the coming days.