Arab and Muslim leaders deny Israel engaging in self-defense against Hamas

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Arab and Muslim leaders say they reject Israeli claims of “self-defense” in Gaza and demand an immediate halt to military operations there against Hamas after more than a month of war.

The final statement from a summit in the Saudi capital seen by AFP says participants “reject describing this war as self-defense or justifying it under any pretext.”

The leaders demand that the UN Security Council adopt “a decisive and binding resolution” to halt Israel’s “aggression” in Gaza.

The final statement says “failure to do so is complicity that allows Israel to continue its brutal aggression that kills innocent people… and turns Gaza into ruin.”

The leaders also reject any proposal that would keep Gaza separate from the West Bank in a future Palestinian state. The statement stresses the importance of “the unity of Gaza and the West Bank as the territory of the Palestinian State,” with East Jerusalem as its capital.