Saudi Arabia says ongoing Israeli military operations threaten regional security 

Saudi Arabia said yesterday that the continuation of Israeli military operations in the occupied Palestinian territories threatens regional security and threatens to expand the conflict.

The Kingdom’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Waleed Bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji, made his comment during the 19th meeting of foreign ministers in the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Forum, hosted by Iran. Speaking on behalf of Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Bin Abdullah, he stressed “the importance of doubling joint efforts and deepening cooperation coordination to face the many challenges, most notably the rise in conflicts, and the increasing challenges of food security and energy security, among others,” reported the Saudi News Agency.

“Israel continues its military operations that have escalated in an unprecedented manner against defenceless civilians in Gaza, leaving thousands of victims, including children, women and the elderly,” said Al-Khuraiji. Regional security is threatened and the expansion of the conflict is a possibility, he added, pointing out that the Kingdom had previously warned about this because of the “ [Israeli] occupation’s ongoing military operations and its deprivation of the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights.”

The Saudi official emphasised the need for Israeli military operations to stop immediately, and the need to protect civilians, secure the delivery of humanitarian aid, and intensify efforts to reach a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue. “The need is to ensure the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

Al-Khuraiji reiterated “the Kingdom’s emphasis on the necessity of continuing coordination between countries and developing and expanding cooperation in all fields.” These include economic development, technology, trade, investment, regional security, energy, cultural and other fields.

“The Kingdom believes in the importance of strengthening cooperation in emerging fields and challenges, including the climate change crisis, and raising the level of cooperation in the field of global governance of artificial intelligence and new technologies,” said Al-Khuraiji as he indicated the importance and effectiveness of collective action within multilateral frameworks in calming tensions and promoting dialogue and joint action.

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