UAE and other Arab countries condemn targeting of civilians in Gaza

The foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and Morocco condemned on Thursday targeting of civilians and violations of international law in Gaza which has been under Israeli bombardment.

Their joint statement mentioned that the right to self-defence does not justify breaking law and neglecting Palestinians' rights.

Palestinians in Gaza said Israeli air strikes had pounded the territory again overnight and people living in central Gaza, near the Bureij refugee camp and east of Qarara village, reported intensive tank shelling all night.

"We emphasize that the right to self-defence ... does not justify flagrant violations of international law and international humanitarian law, or the deliberate neglect of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," the foreign ministers said in their statement.

They also condemned forced displacement and collective punishment in Gaza and emphasized that "the absence of a political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has led to repeated acts of violence and suffering for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples and the peoples of the region."

The ministers emphasised the need for a two-state solution, ensuring the establishment of "an independent, sovereign, contiguous and viable Palestinian state on the pre-June 4, 1967, lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital."

Reuters