RIYADH: The GCC’s Ministerial Council has condemned the escalation of conflict in Lebanon and Palestine and has warned that this poses a threat to regional and global security.
In a statement issued from Doha, the council called on all parties to “exercise restraint, cease violence, and prioritize dialogue,” the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
It urged the international community “to fulfill its responsibilities to maintain security and stability in the region and to implement international legitimacy resolutions related to the area.”
This comes in the wake of Tel Aviv attacking militant targets in Lebanon, and the ongoing conflict in occupied Gaza and the West Bank, Yemen, Iraq and within Israel itself.
The escalation has raised fears that the US and Iran would be sucked into the conflict.
The council reaffirmed the GCC’s support for Lebanon and its people, and called for urgent humanitarian assistance to “alleviate the suffering of civilians and protect them from any serious repercussions.”
It also stressed the necessity of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, related international resolutions and the Taif Agreement.
This would “restore lasting security and stability in Lebanon and ensure respect for the integrity of its territory, political independence, and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders.”
On Palestine, the council again called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the lifting of the blockade and the release of hostages and detainees.
The council emphasized “the importance of opening all crossings immediately and unconditionally.”
This would ensure “the delivery of all relief, humanitarian, medical supplies, and basic needs to the residents of Gaza in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law.”
It emphasized the “importance of deescalation, exercising maximum restraint, and preventing further instability and the dangers of wars and destruction and their effects on the peoples of the region and the world.”
