GCC chief criticises ‘failure’ of Israel’s closest allies over Gaza war
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) strongly criticised Israel’s allies for failing to convince its government to end the aggression against the Palestinian people.
Israel’s “barbaric aggression” on Gaza must end, urged GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi.
Speaking to reporters a day before the 45th GCC summit in Kuwait on Sunday, Al-Budaiwi pledged that the Gulf bloc would continue all possible efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, adding that the Israeli occupation should bear full responsibility for its barbaric actions against the Palestinians.
The Israeli military launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas on 7 October last year.
After 419 days of war on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Israel killed over 44,360 people—most of them women and children—injured about 106,000 and left nearly 11,000 missing.
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Al-Budaiwi strongly criticised major powers for failing to do enough to stop the war: “Even Israel’s closest allies failed to influence its government to stop the barbaric military operations in Gaza.”
Meanwhile, Al-Budaiwi, a former Kuwaiti diplomat, praised the “special standing” the GCC has achieved on the international stage thanks to its: “Unified foreign policy promoting global peace and security.”
He pointed out that the international community considers the GCC member states a “credible and reliable” strategic partner “without a hidden agenda”.
The GCC, which includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, believes that the stability of the Gulf region requires a just solution to the Palestinian cause.
In the final communiqué of the first summit in Abu Dhabi in 1981, the Gulf group leaders affirmed that the Gulf region’s stability and the Middle East are paramount for GCC member states.
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