Saudi crown prince pans Israeli ‘aggression’ in first public comments on war in Gaza

Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler denounces the conduct of Israeli forces fighting Hamas in Gaza, ahead of weekend summits that will focus on the unfolding violence in the Strip.

“We condemn the military aggression witnessed in the Gaza Strip, the targeting of civilians, and the continued violations of international humanitarian law by the Israeli occupation forces,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tells a summit with African leaders, his first public comments on the Israel-Hamas war.

“We stress the necessity of stopping this war and forced displacement and creating conditions for the return of stability and achieving peace.”

Riyadh has repeatedly criticized attacks on civilians in statements, though Prince Mohammed had not publicly addressed them before today.

His comments at the Saudi-Africa summit came one day before the Gulf kingdom hosts two emergency meetings on the fighting in Gaza — of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union Commission, also condemns the “obscene violence” afflicting Palestinians.

“We call for a real and practical leap to stop the immediate destruction of Gaza and the killing of thousands of its people in order to give a strong impetus to a political solution by adopting the two-state solution,” he said.

The Saudi-Africa summit’s final declaration voiced “deep concern” about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, called for an end to military operations and urged the international community to apply pressure “to stop Israeli attacks and the forced displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.”

Prince Mohammed also tells the summit that Saudi Arabia would make $25 billion in investments in Africa by 2030, nearly doubling the amount invested in the last decade, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.