Israel’s Actions in Gaza ‘Amount to Crimes of Genocide’: Saudi Foreign Ministry
Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned Israel’s plans to build new settlements in the occupied West Bank and expand its war in the Gaza Strip as “amounting to crimes of genocide” against Palestinians.
In a statement on Thursday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation “in the strongest possible terms” Israel’s persistence in “crimes against the Palestinian people and their occupied land, and the ongoing attempts to displace them and prevent the establishment of their independent state.”
The statement added that this includes Israel’s endorsement of settlement construction around occupied Jerusalem and the expansion of operations and aggression, amounting to crimes of genocide against defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday night, Israel launched a new operation against Gaza City, after the Israeli Defense Minister approved a plan for the expansion of the offensive and the full takeover of Gaza’s largest urban hub, as well as the call-up of nearly 60,000 reservists for the campaign.
“We have begun the preliminary actions, and already now, (Israeli army) troops are holding the outskirts of Gaza City,” Israel’s military spokesperson said in a statement.
Moreover, Israel gave a final approval for the E1 settlement project, which involves the construction of about 3,400 new housing units in Maale Adumin, with the aim of splitting the occupied West Bank in two and impeding efforts to establish an independent Palestinian State.
In the light of this, Saudi Arabia stressed that Israeli actions represent “serious violations of international law and relevant Security Council resolutions,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry’s statement said.
The Kingdom also added that the implementation of these “dangerous Israeli plans” and the continuation of Israeli crimes undeterred have a “major impact on the region’s security and stability, and threaten the legitimacy of the international order.”
