Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has made strong accusations against Israel during a gathering of Islamic leaders in Riyadh. The crown prince condemned what he described as 'collective genocide' being carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, expressed his support for Iran and urged the international community to compel Israel to respect Iran’s sovereignty and refrain from attacking Iranian territories.
This marks a significant shift in Saudi Arabia’s stance towards Israel, as the kingdom had been in talks to normalize relations with Israel last year. However, Saudi Arabia now insists that any agreement with Israel must be contingent on the establishment of a Palestinian state, a condition rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The gathering in Riyadh included leaders such as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Iran was represented by its First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, who mourned the deaths of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar.
The meeting aimed to unify positions and exert pressure on the international community to end the ongoing attacks in the region and establish lasting peace. The event also saw the presence of Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Bashar al-Assad of Syria, who are involved in a conflict over Turkey’s military operations in northern Syria and its support for rebel groups.
