Arab-European meeting opens in Riyadh to discuss support for recognition of Palestine
An Arab-Islamic-European meeting to support the two-state solution, on Monday, discussed the international recognition of the Palestinian state, in a way that achieves the aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish their independent and sovereign state on the borders of June 4, 1967.
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who chaired the meeting, affirmed the sincere desire to implement the two-state solution, stressing that the right of the Palestinian people to establish their state is “inalienable, and must be fulfilled.”
The Saudi Foreign Minister said that Israel was the only country that remains outside the international consensus on the need to stop the war in Gaza, relying on European partners to convince it of the peace approach.
He warned that the continuation of the military approach would only serve the extremists, and would inevitably destabilize the security of the region, noting that famine had become a reality for the Palestinians in Gaza.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan stressed that the discovery of mass graves in the Nasser Medical Complex in the Gaza Strip, where Israel carried out a large-scale military operation, “reflects a disregard for the most basic humanitarian standards.”
He reaffirmed the danger of any potential military operation in the Palestinian Rafah, as it would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe and dire consequences for the region.
For his part, Hussein Al-Sheikh, Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, who was present at the meeting, told Asharq Al-Awsat that some European countries were ready to recognize the State of Palestine, while others were working to create the appropriate conditions for this end.
“We asked the United States to put pressure on Israel to prevent the invasion of Rafah, and we also called on the European countries to do the same, and they can as well,” Al-Sheikh said, in comments following the meeting.
Espen Barth Ede, Norwegian Foreign Minister, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “We have worked for the Palestinian state for 31 years, and we certainly want to recognize it.”
He continued: “But we, along with many Europeans, are working to create conditions that will have a truly strong impact on the establishment of the Palestinian state and peace in the region.”
In addition to Saudi Arabia and Norway, the meeting gathered representatives of Palestine, Qatar, the Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Germany, Britain, Belgium, Italy, Slovenia, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Turkiye, France, as well as the League of Arab States and the European Union.
