At UN, Oman calls for sanctions on Israel, establishment of Palestinian state

Oman’s foreign minister calls for the United Nations to place sanctions on Israel, and also advocates for the establishment of a Palestinian state, in an address to the UN General Assembly.

The statements from Badr al-Busaidi, who also accuses Israel of genocide, come following denunciations of Israel from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other countries at the plenum.

“For too long, this conflict has persisted, the suffering has grown unbearable, and the time has come to end the occupation, to undo the injustice, and to restore the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people through the implementation of the two-state solution,” he says.

He praises the string of Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state in recent days, saying that “the recognition of the State of Palestine is the most crucial step of this critical phase of history of the Palestinian cause.”

He condemns Israel’s strike earlier this month targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar, as well as Israeli strikes in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran, the latter of which fought a 12-day air war with Israel in June.

Oman “calls upon the international community to adopt measures that limit the Israeli government’s ability to continue its policy of genocide, destruction, and illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, and its ongoing policy of starvation and blockade against the Palestinian people and the obstruction of humanitarian assistance,” he says.

He adds, “We call for imposing sanctions on Israel in response to its blatant violations of international law and its unlawful encroachments on the sovereignty of states.”

Israel rejects the charge that it is committing genocide in Gaza, saying it strives to avoid civilian casualties.