RIYADH (Reuters) – The freezing of Israel's UN membership might happen soon, Arab League Secretary General announced at a press conference on Monday in Riyadh.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit was speaking to media after attending an Arab and Islamic summit on the situation in Gaza and Lebanon held by the leaders of OIC, Arab League and the Saudi Foreign minister.
"What we now see is that there is a significant consensus of the international community, a majority of countries of the members of the United Nations, a significant number of the largest countries actually in the world that stand very firmly behind a two state solution," said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud at the same press conference.
“I trust that a lot of states will support freezing the membership. And this freezing is not under the UN Security Council's vision, meaning the UNSC is the only party concerned with expelling and joining members but we are not speaking about expelling or joining, we are talking about freezing. Accordingly, we might witness soon the freezing of the membership through a UNGA majority vote. Accordingly, it is a step that puts things in the right place," Aboul Gheit said.
Late in October, the Saudi foreign minister, called for an immediate ceasefire during a 'Global Alliance' meeting that was held in Riyadh in a push for a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The war in Gaza erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen attacked Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and seizing another 253 hostages, by Israeli tallies. Israel's military campaign has levelled much of Gaza and killed around 43,500 Palestinians, Palestinian health officials say.
Gaza's war has kindled wider conflict in the Middle East, with Israel bombing Lebanon and sending forces into its south to disable Iran-backed Hezbollah, a Hamas ally.