NEW YORK CITY: Saudi Arabia on Monday reaffirmed its long-standing support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as it called on the UN Security Council to take decisive action to end Israeli settlement activity, lift the blockade on Gaza, and protect holy sites in Jerusalem.
Speaking during a meeting of the council on the latest developments in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, said the Kingdom “reiterates its firm position towards the Palestinian people and their just cause,” and asked for renewed efforts to achieve a comprehensive and just peace.
“My country has been working for years to find a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question,” he said.
“As a result of the unprecedented suffering to which the Palestinian people have been subjected in the Gaza Strip, the Kingdom has intensified its efforts to restore normalcy, begin reconstruction, and enable the people to live in dignity in their land.”
He highlighted recent diplomatic initiatives by Saudi Arabia, including the joint Saudi-French conference on the implementation of a two-state solution that took place at the UN in September, which resulted in the New York Declaration. The envoy said that declaration had encouraged several additional countries to officially recognize the State of Palestine.
