Saudi FM Avoids Condemning Israel at UN

New York, MINA – Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir has avoided condemning the Israeli occupation or holding Israel responsible for the continuation of the conflict with the Palestinians during his speech before the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Al-Jubeir said his country does not see any justification for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to continue since the international community agrees on the two-state solution, MEMO reported.

He called for serious international will to translate the solution into reality.

Commenting on Al-Jubeir’s speech, media professor Nashat Al-Aqtash said that Israel’s public relations campaign over the years had produced in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula the use of the word “conflict” by the Saudi foreign minister instead of “occupation”.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Al-Aqtash said Al-Jubeir’s speech paves the way for normalising relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Regarding the Gulf state’s crisis with Qatar, Al-Jubair described his country’s stance towards Qatar as part of its foreign counter-terrorism policy, saying that Doha – with its support for terrorism – had contributed to spreading chaos and provoking sedition and instability in the region.

He called on Qatar to abide by the international principles and laws on combating terrorism and to fulfil its commitments as laid out in the Riyadh agreements of 2013 and 2014.

On the war in Yemen, the Saudi foreign minister described Houthi rebels and supporters of ousted Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh as a threat to Yemen and the region.

Al-Jubeir reiterated Riyadh’s support for a political solution to the Yemeni crisis.(R/R04/RS55)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)