ALBAWABA - Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan announced a "international coalition" to create a Palestinian state and advance the two-state solution. Israeli assaults on Lebanon might lead to a regional crisis, he said.
Ministers discussed the Palestinian problem and peace initiatives when the news was made. The Saudi Press Agency said that the meeting took place Thursday in New York during the 79th UN General Assembly.
At the conference, bin Farhan said, "The Arab and Islamic nations and our European friends are beginning the worldwide coalition to execute the two-state solution today. We welcome all countries to our effort."
He added that the alliance is the result of substantial Arab and European collaboration to find proactive solutions to the Palestinian dilemma rather than waiting and observing.
Bin Farhan stressed that the two-state solution is the best way to end strife and poverty. "By implementing this solution, we can create a new reality where the entire region, including Israel, can enjoy security and peaceful coexistence."
Further, the Saudi foreign minister said an independent Palestinian state is a right, not a political process conclusion.
He praised countries that recently recognized Palestine and urged others to "demonstrate the same courage" by joining the global consensus of 149 states that recognized Palestine.
The Saudi Foreign Minister called the Gaza conflict a humanitarian calamity. He said Israeli transgressions in the West Bank, including threats to Al-Aqsa Mosque and other holy sites, reinforced "occupation and violent extremism".
Farhan said, "Claims of self-defense cannot justify the killing of tens of thousands of civilians, the systematic destruction, forced displacement, use of starvation as a weapon of war, incitement to hatred, dehumanization, and systematic torture, including sexual violence, as documented by United Nations reports."
Bin Farhan warned that Israel's airstrikes on Lebanon were causing a "dangerous regional escalation" that might lead to a regional and global conflict.
He urged for an immediate end to hostilities and all international law breaches, holding peace violators accountable and cautioned against letting them threaten regional and global security.
"We are left questioning the credibility of the international order," he said "when we stand powerless to stop the machinery of war, while some persist in selectively applying international law, in blatant disregard for the principles of equality, freedom, and human rights."
