In the midst of escalating Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation held a Joint Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh on 11 November, 2023, at the behest of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) with the objective of pushing the US and Israel to put an end to the bombing campaign on Gaza, which has killed at least 11,078 Palestinians. However, the summit rejected the punitive economic and political measures against Israel as a result of its clash with Hamas. At first, only the 22 Arab League countries were anticipated to attend, but the summit was eventually enlarged to include the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a larger body of 57 predominantly Muslim- majority states to which the Arab League countries belong to. The Arab League was at odds over “important clauses” that weren’t able to be included in its collective reaction to Israel’s operation on Gaza during an Arab League meeting. Four “influential countries” in the Arab League prevented the acceptance of proposals including actual penalties against Israel, instead proposing more ambiguous unwavering clauses. Because of the disagreement, the summits of the OIC and the Arab League were merged. The meeting was attended by leaders from the Arab League and the OIC, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The final declaration issued on 11 November slammed Israel’s aggression against the Gaza Strip and sought an immediate ceasefire. It opposes labelling this retaliatory war as self-defence or justifying it under any circumstances. It demanded an immediate lifting of the siege on Gaza and the urgent entry of Arab, Islamic and international humanitarian aid convoys carrying food, medicine and gasoline into the Gaza Strip. Not only that, but it also, seeks for inclusion of international organisations in this process as well as protection for relief crews in order for them to completely carry out their responsibilities. It also proposed a halt to Israeli weapons exports and rejected any potential political solution to the issue that would maintain Gaza independent of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It also requested financial assistance to the the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Furthermore, the statement urged upon the United Nations Security Council to make a decisive and binding decision that puts an end to the aggression and limits the colonial occupation authority’s violations of international law and legitimate resolutions. However, the final statement unveiled the Arab World’s rift over the decision. Countries, like Algeria and Lebanon, suggested that in response to the damage in Gaza, they should terminate all diplomatic and economic ties with Tel Aviv, prohibit Israeli flights in Arab airspace, and for oil-producing Muslim countries to “ threaten to use oil as a means of leverage” to negotiate an end to hostilities in Gaza. Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco, Mauritania and Djibouti rebuffed the proposal. Iran proposed practical steps but was sidelined. Furthermore, the statement exposed regional splits over how to respond to the turmoil even as concerns increased that it might reach in other countries. Similarly, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, like Iran’s, stated that a lack of obvious punitive steps against Israel might render the summit insignificant. Although most Arab Islamic countries affirm solidarity with Palestine, their stances and priorities differ substantially. The geopolitical intricacies of the rift among Arab Islamic states over ties with Israel, particularly in the context of the Gaza bombardment, have indeed left the Palestine question nearly abandoned as countries prioritise their own interests. West Asia is typically defined by a complex geopolitical landscape, with countries demonstrating disparities in their approaches to Israel-Palestine conflicts. A multitude of factors, including political affiliations, economic interests, and historical links, can all have an impact on this. The region’s geopolitics is convoluted resulting in varied degrees of support or condemnation based on specific country interests. The author is a former ICWA research intern. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Although most Arab Islamic countries affirm solidarity with Palestine, their stances and priorities differ substantially
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