Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli violations and supports Palestine's right to an independent state

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Before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia renewed its condemnation and absolute rejection of illegal Israeli measures in the occupied Palestinian territories, stressing that they represent a blatant attack on the Palestinian people’s inherent right to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

This firm stance was expressed during the participation of the Kingdom's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in the interactive dialogue of the 61st session of the Human Rights Council. The Kingdom's Permanent Representative, Ambassador Abdulmohsen bin Khathila, delivered the Kingdom's statement, which emphasized that Israeli practices, such as the decision to designate lands in the West Bank as "state land," are attempts to impose a new legal and administrative reality that directly undermines the two-state solution and efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.

Historical background and international context

The steadfast Saudi position comes within a complex historical and legal context. Since the 1967 war, the United Nations and the international community have considered the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip to be occupied territories. Palestinian demands for an independent state are based on numerous international resolutions, most notably Security Council Resolution 242, which calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied territories. The “two-state solution,” which Israeli actions are undermining, is the internationally recognized vision for ending the conflict, based on the existence of an independent and viable Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the State of Israel within the June 4, 1967 borders.

The importance of the Saudi position and its expected effects

The Saudi position is of paramount importance on several levels. Domestically , practices such as land confiscation and the demolition of buildings, including those belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), exacerbate the humanitarian suffering of Palestinians and undermine their livelihoods, as well as altering the demographic and geographic reality on the ground to such an extent that the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state becomes virtually impossible. Regionally , this clear condemnation by a major regional power like Saudi Arabia reaffirms the centrality of the Palestinian cause in the Arab world and is consistent with the Arab Peace Initiative launched by Riyadh in 2002. It also sends a clear message that the continuation of these violations obstructs any efforts to achieve lasting stability in the Middle East. Internationally , raising these issues in a UN forum such as the Human Rights Council helps to mobilize global public opinion and reminds the international community of its responsibilities to uphold and enforce international law, and to exert pressure to halt these actions that directly threaten the prospects for peace.

Call for international accountability

The Kingdom strongly condemned the demolition of UNRWA buildings by Israeli occupation forces, holding the international community responsible for confronting these practices and Israel's approach of continuing its violations and crimes against international relief organizations. The statement concluded by emphasizing that peace and stability will only be achieved by granting the Palestinian people their legitimate and inalienable rights, foremost among them their right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent and sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital.