NEW YORK — Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has emphasized the urgent need for international recognition of the independent state of Palestine, urging its full membership in the United Nations, through a Security Council resolution. Prince Faisal made the remarks during an emergency session on the Middle East situation, particularly focusing on the Palestinian cause on Wednesday. Invited by China's Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Prince Faisal addressed the UN Security Council, highlighting the grim situation in the Gaza Strip. He expressed concern over the escalating crisis, with a death toll exceeding 14,000, a majority of whom were women and children. Additionally, over half a million people were displaced due to the military escalation by Israeli occupation forces in continuous violation of international charters and resolutions. Prince Faisal underscored the lack of international accountability mechanisms and the Security Council's inability to take deterrent measures against these violations. He referenced the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit hosted by the Kingdom on Nov. 11, 2023, as a response to the dire situation, emphasizing its call for immediate action to end the bloodshed and provide unconditional relief assistance to the Palestinian people. The Saudi minister conveyed the unified message of the summit: an immediate and lasting ceasefire to initiate a genuine and credible peace process. He called on countries advocating for peace and justice to raise the voices for preserving the legitimacy of the international system, which has been compromised by its slow response to the humanitarian crisis. Prince Faisal welcomed the humanitarian truce in Gaza and acknowledged the efforts of Qatar, Egypt, and the US. However, he stressed the inadequacy of the truce and called for unobstructed and sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza, emphasizing the importance of implementing Security Council Resolution No. 2712. Prince Faisal criticized Israel for using baseless pretexts of self-defense in the face of daily humanitarian tragedies in Gaza. He warned against allowing military escalation to resume immediately after the truce, emphasizing the potential disgrace to the United Nations and the Security Council. In response to discussions during the session, Prince Faisal rejected the notion that water, food, and medicine alone would solve the crisis, emphasizing the crucial role of a ceasefire and Israel's commitment to peace efforts. He recalled Saudi Arabia's longstanding commitment to peace, presenting the Arab Peace Plan in 1982 and the Arab Peace Initiative in 2002, both supporting a two-state solution based on international resolutions. Prince Faisal renewed the call for an international peace conference under the United Nations' auspices, aiming to launch a serious and reliable peace process that ensures the implementation of the two-state solution.
