RIYADH, November 11, 2024: Arab and Muslim leaders have started arriving in Saudi Arabia ahead of a high-stakes summit to discuss the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, according to reports from Saudi state media.
The Saudi foreign ministry first announced the summit in late October, which follows the inaugural meeting of an international alliance advocating for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The gathering will focus on Israel’s military actions in Palestinian territories and Lebanon, with broader discussions on the regional situation.
This summit takes place one year after a similar meeting in Riyadh, where the Cairo-based Arab League and the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned Israeli actions in Gaza as “barbaric.”
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Among those arriving in Riyadh are Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, both of whom were seen landing in the city on Saudi state television.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also expected to attend, with the Pakistani foreign ministry announcing that Sharif will call for an immediate halt to the violence in Gaza and the “cessation of Israeli adventurism” in the region.
The OIC, which comprises 57 member countries, and the Arab League, with 22 member states, include a mix of nations that either recognize Israel or firmly oppose its integration into the region.
Disagreements at last year’s summit—such as proposals to sever economic and diplomatic ties with Israel and disrupt its oil supplies—highlighted the internal divisions within the bloc.
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The violence in Gaza escalated after Hamas launched a large-scale attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in over 1,200 Israeli deaths, the majority of them civilians, according to Israeli sources.
In response, Israel’s military operations have led to over 43,600 deaths in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures verified by the United Nations and reported by the Hamas-run health ministry.