ISLAMABAD: Special Representative to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Pakistani Diaspora in the Middle East and Islamic Countries Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Sunday said that Saudi Arabia had emerged as a crucial player in finding a solution to the long-standing Palestinian issue in a tumultuous region marred by conflict and uncertainty.
In an exclusive interview with APP, he said the recent escalation in violence, exemplified by a deadly missile strike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital just hours before President Biden’s visit to Israel, underscored the urgency of addressing the Palestinian crisis.
Ashrafi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, said for the Palestinians in Gaza, each passing day brought more suffering, with a continuous toll of lives lost since October.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s commitment to a potential ground offensive on Gaza added to the tension, while journalists had become casualties in targeted attacks, he added.
In a heartbreaking turn of events, he said Al Jazeera Arabic’s Gaza bureau chief lost his wife, son, daughter, and grandson in an Israeli airstrike on his home. He said the absence of foreign journalists in Gaza amplified the courage of Palestinian journalists, who were risking their lives to report on the situation in a region under Israeli siege.
Ashrafi said the Arab leadership, once poised for a new chapter in Israeli-Palestinian relations and the prospect of a self-governing Palestinian state, had witnessed Israel’s disproportionate response to recent events.
He said the Saudis had taken a stand by informing Washington of their decision to freeze normalised talks, as this gesture emphasised that the Palestinian issue could not be dismissed in the pursuit of normalising relations with Israel.
He said Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the Palestinian issue had primarily centered on regional stability and de-escalation.
He said the worldwide condemnation of Israel’s use of force against civilians was continuing to mount as Jordan’s Queen Rania Al Abdullah criticised the West’s double standards in the conflict during an interview with CNN.
Ashrafi said Israel’s actions in the ongoing conflict seemed to be part of a broader strategy to justify further territorial expansion into Palestinian territories. Amid these developments, he said the Arab world had rejected Israel’s suggestion for Gazans to flee to Egypt or Jordan, fearing that compliance could lead to an expansionist agenda.
He underlined that permitting Israel to displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians could risk extinguishing the two-state solution forever.
He said that in a meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his disagreement with the Western leadership’s support for Israel and advocated for a diplomatic solution.
Ashrafi said China’s efforts to mediate peace in the region had been evident, with proposals for an international peace conference, including the possibility of holding it in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He said China’s commitment to impartial mediation was underscored by the presence of its special envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun.
He said China had decried Israel’s retaliatory actions as violations of international humanitarian law and condemned collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
Speaking about a long-term solution, he said China’s top diplomat highlighted the need for justice for Palestine, which had endured suffering for generations.
Ashrafi said Saudi Arabia’s role was pivotal in this intricate diplomatic landscape.
He said a recent statement from Washington expressed a desire to resume the peace process after the conflict subsides.
However, the path forward depends on how the United States and Israel could navigate current tensions without compromising the Palestinians’ right to their land, he added.
He said the Islamic world looked to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to convene a conference of leaders from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to chart a long-term and sustainable solution to the Palestinian issue.
Under the guidance of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince was uniquely positioned to address the Palestinian crisis, with the trust of Arab leaders and the Muslim Ummah, he maintained.
Ashrafi said Saudi Arabia’s negotiations with Israel, facilitated by the United States, underscored the importance of achieving concrete results and establishing a sustainable two-state solution for the Palestinian issue.
As Israel’s leadership leans rightward with reluctance to cede territory, the Muslim world, along with China and Russia, could form a formidable force to engage Israel and the United States in the pursuit of a two-state solution, he added.
He opined that the OIC forum, under Saudi Arabia’s leadership, held the potential to achieve this formidable objective.
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