Against Israeli invasion of Gaza Strip, Arab ambassadors call on Korea, world to act

By Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik with Vice Chairperson Joy Cho, Feature Editor Park Jeong-Woo

Non-Resident Ambassador Waleed Siam of the State of Palestine in the Republic of Korea, Ambassadors Zakariya Hamed Hilal AL Saadi of the Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Morocco and a good number of the other ambassadors from the Arab World countries attended a meeting at the Embassy of Oman in Seoul on Nov. 22, 2023.

Attending the meeting among the dignitaries were Ambassadors Amira Agarib of Sudan, Kais Darragi of Tunsia, Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi of the UAE, Khalid Ebrahim Al-Hamar of the State of Qatar, Deyab Alrashidi of the State of Kuwait, and Khaled Abdel Rahman of Egypt.

1 Non-Resident Ambassador Waleed Siam of the State of Palestine in the Republic of Korea (center foreground) speaks to the representatives of the Korean media, including Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of The Korea Post media, concerning the situation in the Gaza Region of Palestine. At left is Ambassador Chafik Rachadi of the Kingdom of Morocco and at right is Ambassador Zakariya Hamed Hilal AL Saadi of the Sultanate of Oman.

Speaking on behalf of the ambassadors of the Arab World in Seoul, Ambassador Waleed Siam of the State of Palestine in the Republic of Korea said, “In response to the Israeli brutal invasion of the occupied Gaza Strip, the Group of Arab ambassadors reiterates the call on the Republic of Korea and the international community to act for an end to the aggression against Gaza by Israel in its invasion on Gaza.”

2 A press conference is in progress at the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in Seoul on the afternoon Nov. 22, 2023. It was attended by many ambassadors and other senior diplomats of the Arab World. From the media came many publishers and editors who included Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of The Korea Post media with his Vice Chairperson Joy Cho and Feature Editor Park Jong-Woo.

Details of the speech follow:

On behalf of the Group of Arab Ambassadors in the Republic of Korea, I would like to thank you all for meeting with us today. We meet with you today as the Group of Arab Ambassadors in the Republic of Korea, representing the collective and united voice of Arab countries accredited to the Republic of Korea. This meeting falls within a series of meetings we are holding with several concerned parties.

In response to the Israeli brutal invasion of the occupied Gaza Strip, The Group of Arab Ambassadors reiterates the call on the Republic of Korea and the international community to act for an end to the aggression against Gaza by Israel in its invasion on Gaza.

Over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza continue to face death and daily struggle for survival. On the 47th day of non-stop brutal bombardment of Gaza, the death toll has exceeded 13,000 Palestinians, among them more than 5,500 children and 3,500 women, including over 60 journalists and 108 staff members of international organizations. Israel's aggression and the unhindered violence by Israeli extremist settlers has claimed the lives of over 196 Palestinians in the Israeli occupied West Bank, with almost 3000 injured.

Since November 7th, the death toll in Gaza has increased by 15% and it stands today at 13,000, with an alarming increase in the number of women and children killed.

The joint Arabs Islamic Extraordinary Summit was held in Saudi Arabia where a unified position was again expressed among Arab and Muslim countries

regarding the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian territories

including Jerusalem.

On November 15th, and after 40 days of Israel's constant bombardment and brutal killings and systematic destruction of vital infrastructure, The United Nations Security Council issued a resolution calling for "Humanitarian Pauses" in Gaza, which clearly falls short on calling for an end to the aggression by Israel against Gaza, the only way to stop the bloodshed and to save innocent lives. Although the resolution did not meet our expectations, it resulted in 5 days of ceasefire in Gaza, and we are nevertheless grateful to the countries who voted in favor of it.

In that regard we urge the international community and the Republic of Korea to act for a permanent ceasefire and end of aggression and invasion on Gaza.

History continues to repeat itself with Israel. The Security Council resolution adopted 'November 15th was the first resolution in seven years that addresses Israel despite of the systemic flagrant violations of international law committed

by Israel over this period. Today, and due to the international community's inability to hold Israel accountable and to its tepid criticism of Israel's unlawful conduct, that resolution concerning the Illegality of Israeli Settlements in Palestinian Territory Occupied Since 1967 was never adhered to and we the world stood silent as Israel continued its illegal settlement activity result in in an increase of 12 percent in the number of Israeli settlers and a marked increase in illegal settlements in the Palestinian occupied territories. Israel is getting away with its complete disregard to binding resolutions by the United Nations Security Council. As long as there is lack of accountability, Israel will continue to disregard and treat the international community with utter contempt.

The fate of November 15th resolution will not be different and that is according to Israeli officials themselves. The remarkable unwillingness of the international community to enforce its own directions to Israel will embolden it to once again disregard the resolution just passed by the security council concerning Gaza. However, the world is now watching, and all eyes are on the security council and its members in how they exercise the power vested in them by the global community. The inability of the Council to enforce its own rules will surely exacerbate an already volatile situation. It will also set a dangerous precedent that will shed serious doubt on the legitimacy of the international order.

The brutal killings of innocent Palestinian civilians cannot and should never be justified under any pretext. There can be no justification for Israel's indiscriminate attacks against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. Israel is committing war crimes, and it must be held accountable. We must say it as it is. We must refuse the double standards, and selective application of international law. Israel cannot remain above the law.

This lack of accountability has emboldened an already belligerent and extreme right-wing government in Israel whose cabinet and Knesset members openly and audaciously repeat their threats and calls for wiping out the Palestinians from the face of this earth, describe them as human animals, unworthy of life. The most recent inflammatory and racist statements made by the sitting Israeli cabinet member calling for nuclear bombing of Gaza is nothing short of a hate and war crime that openly incites and calls for genocide.

The Group demands the international community to force Israel to immediately and fully comply with international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights conventions. This includes a particular focus on the protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel, and humanitarian facilities.

The Republic of Korea, with its unique position in the international community, is called upon to use its leverage in urgently calling for an end to the aggression

by Israel against Gaza, to facilitating delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance, and to stopping the forced displacement population transfer of Palestinians in Gaza.

We take this opportunity to express our appreciation for the Republic of Korea's long-standing commitment to maintaining an impartial humanitarian role in adhering to the universal principles and values of freedom, respect for basic human rights, the rules of the international law, as well as the ensuring of peace, stability, and security. the Republic of Korea has consistently maintained its high moral grounds and demonstrated an unwavering ethical dedication to impartiality in mediating various global issues. This balanced approach plays a critical role in fostering peace, stability, and the attainment of equitable and sustainable resolutions to conflicts. It is of utmost importance for the Republic of Korea to leverage its influence and goodwill in our Region and the world and to continue endorsing and actively participating in global initiatives aimed at achieving worldwide peace and justice.

In view of the above, the Group of Arab Ambassadors calls on the Republic of Korea to undertake the following:

Condemn of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the war crimes, brutal massacres, and inhumane atrocities committed by the colonial occupation government during the aggression against the Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and demand for an immediate cessation of this aggression.

The Group urges the Republic of Korea and the international community to enable and facilitate humanitarian access for essential supplies and services to reach all civilians in need in the Gaza Strip. The Group also stresses on the immediate, continuous, sufficient, and unhindered provision of essential goods and services to civilians throughout the Gaza Strip, such as water, food, medical supplies, fuel, and electricity. International humanitarian law necessitates that civilians are not deprived of objects indispensable to their survival.

To demand that the Security Council adopt an immediate resolution condemning Israel's barbaric destruction of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, the prevention of the entry of medicine, food and fuel into it, and the cutting- off of electricity, water supply and basic services, including communication and internet services, being a collective punishment that constitutes a war crime under international law, and the necessity that the resolution requires Israel, as the occupying power, to abide by international laws and immediately cancel these barbaric and inhumane

measures, and emphasizes the necessity of lifting the blockade that Israel has imposed on the Gaza Strip for years.

To reject and condemn the displacement of about one and a half million

Palestinians from the north of Gaza to the south, a war crime according to the

Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and its 1977 Protocol, and to call on the States parties to the convention to take a collective resolution condemning and rejecting it, Call on all United Nations organizations to stand against the colonial occupation authorities' attempts to perpetuate this miserable inhuman reality, and stress the need for the immediate return of these displaced people to their homes and areas;

To stand firmly against any attempt to forced transfer of the Palestinian civilian population.

To reject any attempts at individual or collective forced relocation, forced displacement, exile or deportation of the Palestinian people, whether inside the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, including Al-Quds, or outside of their territories, to any other destination whatsoever, considering this as a red line and a war crime;

To condemn the hateful, extremist and racist acts and statements made by ministers in the Israeli occupation government, including the threat by one of the ministers to use nuclear weapons against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, being a serious threat to global peace and security, which requires supporting the conference to establish a zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, held within the framework of the United Nations, and its objectives to confront this threat;

To condemn the killing of journalists, children and women, the targeting of paramedics, and the use of internationally banned white phosphorus in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, condemn the repeated Israeli statements and threats to return Lebanon to the "stone age", stress the need to prevent the expansion of the conflict, and call on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to investigate into Israel's use of chemical weapons.

To demand that all countries stop exporting weapons and ammunitions to the occupation authorities that are used by their army and terrorist settlers to kill the Palestinian people and destroy their homes, hospitals, schools, mosques, churches and all their properties.

To request the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to complete the investigation into the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in all the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem To support the legal and political initiatives of the State

of Palestine to hold the officials of Israeli occupation authorities responsible for their crimes against the Palestinian people, including the advisory opinion process of the International Court of Justice; and to allow the Independent International of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, establish by resolution of the UN Human Right Council, to investigate these crimes and not to hinder its mission.

To support just and lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can be achieved by peaceful means, based on the relevant United Nations resolutions and in accordance with international law, and on the basis of the two-state solution.

To support the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and to call on the Palestinian factions and forces to unite under its umbrella and to assume their responsibilities within a national partnership led by the Palestine Liberation Organization;

To reject any proposals that involve the separation of Gaza from the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and insist that any approach to the future of Gaza must be placed within the context of action to find a comprehensive solution that guarantees the unity of Gaza and the West Bank as the territory of the Palestinian State, which must be embodied in a free, independent, sovereign State with East Al-Quds as its capital along the borders of June 4, 1967.

In closing the Group of Arab Ambassadors in the Republic of Korea calls on the Republic of Korea and on the international community to heed this urgent plea for the immediate alleviation of the suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and to take all necessary actions to end the current crisis and work towards a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region.

Non-Resident Ambassador Waleed Siam of the State of Palestine states:

“In response to Israeli invasion of Gaza Strip, Arab ambassadors call on Korea, world to act”

By Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik with Vice Chairperson Joy Cho, Feature Editor Park Jeong-Woo

Non-Resident Ambassador Waleed Siam of the State of Palestine in the Republic of Korea, Ambassadors Zakariya Hamed Hilal AL Saadi of the Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Morocco and a good number of the other ambassadors from the Arab World countries attended a meeting at the Embassy of Oman in Seoul on Nov. 22, 2023.

Attending the meeting among the dignitaries were Ambassadors Amira Agarib of Sudan, Kais Darragi of Tunsia, Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi of the UAE, Khalid Ebrahim Al-Hamar of the State of Qatar, Deyab Alrashidi of the State of Kuwait, and Khaled Abdel Rahman of Egypt.

Non-Resident Ambassador Waleed Siam of the State of Palestine in the Republic of Korea (center foreground) speaks to the representatives of the Korean media, including Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of The Korea Post media, concerning the situation in the Gaza Region of Palestine. At left is Ambassador Chafik Rachadi of the Kingdom of Morocco and at right is Ambassador Zakariya Hamed Hilal AL Saadi of the Sultanate of Oman.

Speaking on behalf of the ambassadors of the Arab World in Seoul, Ambassador Waleed Siam of the State of Palestine in the Republic of Korea said, “In response to the Israeli brutal invasion of the occupied Gaza Strip, the Group of Arab ambassadors reiterates the call on the Republic of Korea and the international community to act for an end to the aggression against Gaza by Israel in its invasion on Gaza.”

 A press conference is in progress at the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in Seoul on the afternoon Nov. 22, 2023. It was attended by many ambassadors and other senior diplomats of the Arab World. From the media came many publishers and editors who included Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of The Korea Post media with his Vice Chairperson Joy Cho and Feature Editor Park Jong-Woo.

Details of the speech follow:

On behalf of the Group of Arab Ambassadors in the Republic of Korea, I would like to thank you all for meeting with us today. We meet with you today as the Group of Arab Ambassadors in the Republic of Korea, representing the collective and united voice of Arab countries accredited to the Republic of Korea. This meeting falls within a series of meetings we are holding with several concerned parties.

In response to the Israeli brutal invasion of the occupied Gaza Strip, The Group of Arab Ambassadors reiterates the call on the Republic of Korea and the international community to act for an end to the aggression against Gaza by Israel in its invasion on Gaza.

Over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza continue to face death and daily struggle for survival. On the 47th day of non-stop brutal bombardment of Gaza, the death toll has exceeded 13,000 Palestinians, among them more than 5,500 children and 3,500 women, including over 60 journalists and 108 staff members of international organizations. Israel's aggression and the unhindered violence by Israeli extremist settlers has claimed the lives of over 196 Palestinians in the Israeli occupied West Bank, with almost 3000 injured.

Since November 7th, the death toll in Gaza has increased by 15% and it stands today at 13,000, with an alarming increase in the number of women and children killed.

The joint Arabs Islamic Extraordinary Summit was held in Saudi Arabia where a unified position was again expressed among Arab and Muslim countries

regarding the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian territories

including Jerusalem.

On November 15th, and after 40 days of Israel's constant bombardment and brutal killings and systematic destruction of vital infrastructure, The United Nations Security Council issued a resolution calling for "Humanitarian Pauses" in Gaza, which clearly falls short on calling for an end to the aggression by Israel against Gaza, the only way to stop the bloodshed and to save innocent lives. Although the resolution did not meet our expectations, it resulted in 5 days of ceasefire in Gaza, and we are nevertheless grateful to the countries who voted in favor of it.

In that regard we urge the international community and the Republic of Korea to act for a permanent ceasefire and end of aggression and invasion on Gaza.

History continues to repeat itself with Israel. The Security Council resolution adopted 'November 15th was the first resolution in seven years that addresses Israel despite of the systemic flagrant violations of international law committed

by Israel over this period. Today, and due to the international community's inability to hold Israel accountable and to its tepid criticism of Israel's unlawful conduct, that resolution concerning the Illegality of Israeli Settlements in Palestinian Territory Occupied Since 1967 was never adhered to and we the world stood silent as Israel continued its illegal settlement activity result in in an increase of 12 percent in the number of Israeli settlers and a marked increase in illegal settlements in the Palestinian occupied territories. Israel is getting away with its complete disregard to binding resolutions by the United Nations Security Council. As long as there is lack of accountability, Israel will continue to disregard and treat the international community with utter contempt.

The fate of November 15th resolution will not be different and that is according to Israeli officials themselves. The remarkable unwillingness of the international community to enforce its own directions to Israel will embolden it to once again disregard the resolution just passed by the security council concerning Gaza. However, the world is now watching, and all eyes are on the security council and its members in how they exercise the power vested in them by the global community. The inability of the Council to enforce its own rules will surely exacerbate an already volatile situation. It will also set a dangerous precedent that will shed serious doubt on the legitimacy of the international order.

The brutal killings of innocent Palestinian civilians cannot and should never be justified under any pretext. There can be no justification for Israel's indiscriminate attacks against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. Israel is committing war crimes, and it must be held accountable. We must say it as it is. We must refuse the double standards, and selective application of international law. Israel cannot remain above the law.

This lack of accountability has emboldened an already belligerent and extreme right-wing government in Israel whose cabinet and Knesset members openly and audaciously repeat their threats and calls for wiping out the Palestinians from the face of this earth, describe them as human animals, unworthy of life. The most recent inflammatory and racist statements made by the sitting Israeli cabinet member calling for nuclear bombing of Gaza is nothing short of a hate and war crime that openly incites and calls for genocide.

The Group demands the international community to force Israel to immediately and fully comply with international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights conventions. This includes a particular focus on the protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel, and humanitarian facilities.

The Republic of Korea, with its unique position in the international community, is called upon to use its leverage in urgently calling for an end to the aggression

by Israel against Gaza, to facilitating delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance, and to stopping the forced displacement population transfer of Palestinians in Gaza.

We take this opportunity to express our appreciation for the Republic of Korea's long-standing commitment to maintaining an impartial humanitarian role in adhering to the universal principles and values of freedom, respect for basic human rights, the rules of the international law, as well as the ensuring of peace, stability, and security. the Republic of Korea has consistently maintained its high moral grounds and demonstrated an unwavering ethical dedication to impartiality in mediating various global issues. This balanced approach plays a critical role in fostering peace, stability, and the attainment of equitable and sustainable resolutions to conflicts. It is of utmost importance for the Republic of Korea to leverage its influence and goodwill in our Region and the world and to continue endorsing and actively participating in global initiatives aimed at achieving worldwide peace and justice.

In view of the above, the Group of Arab Ambassadors calls on the Republic of Korea to undertake the following:

Condemn of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the war crimes, brutal massacres, and inhumane atrocities committed by the colonial occupation government during the aggression against the Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and demand for an immediate cessation of this aggression.

The Group urges the Republic of Korea and the international community to enable and facilitate humanitarian access for essential supplies and services to reach all civilians in need in the Gaza Strip. The Group also stresses on the immediate, continuous, sufficient, and unhindered provision of essential goods and services to civilians throughout the Gaza Strip, such as water, food, medical supplies, fuel, and electricity. International humanitarian law necessitates that civilians are not deprived of objects indispensable to their survival.

To demand that the Security Council adopt an immediate resolution condemning Israel's barbaric destruction of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, the prevention of the entry of medicine, food and fuel into it, and the cutting- off of electricity, water supply and basic services, including communication and internet services, being a collective punishment that constitutes a war crime under international law, and the necessity that the resolution requires Israel, as the occupying power, to abide by international laws and immediately cancel these barbaric and inhumane

measures, and emphasizes the necessity of lifting the blockade that Israel has imposed on the Gaza Strip for years.

To reject and condemn the displacement of about one and a half million

Palestinians from the north of Gaza to the south, a war crime according to the

Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and its 1977 Protocol, and to call on the States parties to the convention to take a collective resolution condemning and rejecting it, Call on all United Nations organizations to stand against the colonial occupation authorities' attempts to perpetuate this miserable inhuman reality, and stress the need for the immediate return of these displaced people to their homes and areas;

To stand firmly against any attempt to forced transfer of the Palestinian civilian population.

To reject any attempts at individual or collective forced relocation, forced displacement, exile or deportation of the Palestinian people, whether inside the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, including Al-Quds, or outside of their territories, to any other destination whatsoever, considering this as a red line and a war crime;

To condemn the hateful, extremist and racist acts and statements made by ministers in the Israeli occupation government, including the threat by one of the ministers to use nuclear weapons against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, being a serious threat to global peace and security, which requires supporting the conference to establish a zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, held within the framework of the United Nations, and its objectives to confront this threat;

To condemn the killing of journalists, children and women, the targeting of paramedics, and the use of internationally banned white phosphorus in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, condemn the repeated Israeli statements and threats to return Lebanon to the "stone age", stress the need to prevent the expansion of the conflict, and call on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to investigate into Israel's use of chemical weapons.

To demand that all countries stop exporting weapons and ammunitions to the occupation authorities that are used by their army and terrorist settlers to kill the Palestinian people and destroy their homes, hospitals, schools, mosques, churches and all their properties.

To request the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to complete the investigation into the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in all the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem To support the legal and political initiatives of the State

of Palestine to hold the officials of Israeli occupation authorities responsible for their crimes against the Palestinian people, including the advisory opinion process of the International Court of Justice; and to allow the Independent International of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, establish by resolution of the UN Human Right Council, to investigate these crimes and not to hinder its mission.

To support just and lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can be achieved by peaceful means, based on the relevant United Nations resolutions and in accordance with international law, and on the basis of the two-state solution.

To support the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and to call on the Palestinian factions and forces to unite under its umbrella and to assume their responsibilities within a national partnership led by the Palestine Liberation Organization;

To reject any proposals that involve the separation of Gaza from the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and insist that any approach to the future of Gaza must be placed within the context of action to find a comprehensive solution that guarantees the unity of Gaza and the West Bank as the territory of the Palestinian State, which must be embodied in a free, independent, sovereign State with East Al-Quds as its capital along the borders of June 4, 1967.

In closing the Group of Arab Ambassadors in the Republic of Korea calls on the Republic of Korea and on the international community to heed this urgent plea for the immediate alleviation of the suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and to take all necessary actions to end the current crisis and work towards a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region.