-
Assad Urges Immediate Halt to Israeli Atrocities at Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit
During his address at the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit taking place in Riyadh, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad emphasized that the priority should be to stop the massacres, genocide, and killings in Palestine and Lebanon.
In his speech, Assad stated, "We met a year ago to condemn aggression, but the crime continues. We affirm the necessity to halt the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon."
He continued, "We are not dealing with a state in the legal sense but with a colonial entity. However, Israeli crimes have persisted for years." He noted, "Last year, we called for an end to the aggression and protection of the Palestinians, yet the result of the year has been tens of thousands of martyrs and millions displaced in Palestine and Lebanon. In 2002, the Arabs proposed a peace initiative, and the response was more massacres against the Palestinians. In 1991, we Arab nations decided to engage in the game of 'American good intentions' by participating in the Madrid peace process, which turned our peace into a catalyst for their wars."
Assad remarked, "I will not speak of the Palestinians' historical rights or the necessity of upholding them, nor about the resilience of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples and our urgent duty to support them, nor about the legitimacy of resistance in both countries, which has embodied honor and dignity, represented by its noble leaders and brave fighters."
He stated, "We offer peace yet reap bloodshed. Changing the outcomes requires substituting the mechanisms and tools; what value do the rights of the Palestinian people hold if they do not possess the fundamental right to life?"
He stressed, "We must clarify our options. We do not engage with a state but with a colonial entity, and we do not deal with a people but with settlers who are closer to barbarism."
President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Riyadh today, accompanied by a delegation, to participate in the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit.
The conflict in Gaza erupted following an attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures, including those who died or were killed in captivity.
During the assault, militants kidnapped 251 individuals, 97 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 that the Israeli army claims are deceased. Since then, Israel has responded with devastating bombings and ground operations in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 43,603 individuals, the majority civilians, according to the latest figures from Hamas’s health ministry.
The conflict has also spread to Lebanon, where Hezbollah opened a front against Israel on October 8, 2023, in support of Hamas.
Since late September, Israel has intensified its airstrikes and begun ground operations in Lebanon, following nearly a year of border shelling exchanges with Iran-backed Hezbollah amid the ongoing Gaza war.
