GCC 163rd Ministerial Meeting Condemns Israel’s Gaza Aid Blockade, Reiterates Support for Syrians
The 163rd Ministerial Council meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has reiterated the council’s support for Palestinians and rejected any attempts to displace people in Gaza.
Gaza Reconstruction
According to the final statement, the foreign ministers welcomed the Cairo Arab Summit’s outputs and urged the international community to provide the necessary resources to carry out the plan in cooperation with the Palestinian government and relevant international parties.
Humanitarian Aid Blockade
Furthermore, the meeting underscored the necessity of ending the blockade imposed on Gaza in order to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aids.
The ministers also condemned the Israeli occupation’s decision to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, describing it as “a serious violation of the ceasefire agreement,” international humanitarian law, as well as the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The participants expressed appreciation to the efforts of Qatar, Egypt and the United States to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, expressing hope that it would contribute to a permanent ceasefire.
Crucially, they emphasized that Israel should bear the consequences of its bloody violations and attacks on Gaza, which resulted in the death of tens of thousands of civilians, describing them as “war crimes.”
Reconstruction Plan
The meeting also revealed its unwavering support for the Palestinian plan approved by the extraordinary Arab summit held in Cairo on March 4, emphasizing that the future of Gaza depends on the establishment of a unified Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution.
Interestingly, they stressed the need to establish an international fund for Gaza orphans in cooperation with the United Nations.
In addition, the ministers stressed the necessity to open all border crossings for humanitarian aid and ensure the smooth access of any investigation or fact-finding committee regarding the charge of genocide.
Two-State Solution
The council affirmed its support for the efforts of the international coalition to implement the two-state solution, as well as the efforts of Saudi Arabia, Norway and the European Union, to set a timetable for establishing the independent Palestinian state and ending the Israeli occupation.
In this regard, the ministers welcomed the decision of the United Nations General Assembly to hold a high-level international conference, chaired by Saudi Arabia and France in New York next June, in order to reach a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian cause and implement the two-state solution.
Supporting UNRWA
As for the UNRWA, the meeting condemned the Israeli decision to stop the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), calling on the United Nations to carry out its responsibilities according to international law.
The council also underscored the significance of strengthening the strategic dialogue with Egypt through the memorandum of understanding signed on February 24, 2022, and intensifying efforts to implement the joint action plan for 2024-2028.
It also noted the importance of increasing efforts to implement the joint action plans that were agreed upon within the framework of the strategic partnership between the GCC and Morocco.
Syria
Apart from this, the council stressed its support for the Syrian people noting the significance of strengthening economic relations with countries and international economic blocs to fulfill the commercial and investment goals of the Gulf countries.
The meeting also highlighted the council’s pivotal efforts in several negotiations on free trade agreements between the GCC and various other countries and international economic groups.
Russian-Ukrainian Crisis
Moreover, the ministerial meeting stressed that the GCC’s instance on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis is based on the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter.
In the light of this, the meeting commended Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic efforts in hosting the talks between Russia and the United States on the Ukrainian crisis in Riyadh on February 18. The ministers also expressed their hope that these talks would lead to security and stability.
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