OIC statement condemned Israel"s “brutal aggression” against the Palestinian people Pope Francis calls for an end to the conflict in Israel and Gaza JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has accused Israel of committing flagrant violations against the Palestinians. “Israel is committing flagrant violations against the Palestinians. We condemn Israeli takeover of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem,” Prince Faisal said in his opening speech during the emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). “East Jerusalem is a Palestinian land that we do not accept harm to it,” he said during an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) emergency meeting. Prince Faisal likewise called on the “international community to shoulder its responsibilities in front of Israel’s violations.” “The international community must intervene urgently to put an end to Israeli practices,” Prince Faisal said. An OIC statement also condemned “in the strongest terms Israel"s brutal aggression” against the Palestinian people. It called for an immediate halt of the attacks on civilians, saying they were “a violation of the international law and UN resolutions.” The organisation said it holds Israel “fully responsible for the deterioration of the situation caused by its systematic crimes against the Palestinian people across all occupied Palestinian Territories, in particular, the extensive barbaric military attack on the Gaza Strip.” WATCH THE ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC COOPERATION EMERGENCY MEETING: Saudi Arabia"s foreign minister also condemned what he called the violation of the sanctity of Islamic holy sites and “forcible” eviction of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem. He called on the international community to carry out its responsibility toward ending this “dangerous escalation,” to act urgently to halt military operations and to revive peace negotiations based on a two-state solution. Emirati and Bahraini ministers at the virtual gathering of the 57-member OIC called for a ceasefire and stressed the importance of preserving the identity of Jerusalem, which contains sites sacred to Judaism, Islam and Christianity. “De-escalation and the highest degree of restraint are important to avoid dragging the region to new levels of instability,” said UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy. Pope Francis called on Sunday for an end to the conflict in Israel and Gaza, saying the deaths of so many innocent people in recent days, including children, was unacceptable. “I appeal for calm, and for those responsible to end the clamor of weapons and to take the path of peace,” he said in a weekly address to faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square. “Many innocent people have died, amongst them there are also children. This is terrible. Unacceptable. Their death is a sign that (people) don’t want to build a future, but destroy it ... I wonder where hatred and revenge will lead?” Opinion Baria Alamuddin No peace for Palestine until impunity and inhumanity cease Author Read article The pre-dawn attacks in the center of Gaza City brought the death toll in Gaza to 174, including 47 children, health officials said. Israel has reported 10 dead, including two children. The United Nations Security Council was due to meet later on Sunday to discuss the worst outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian violence in years. Palestine’s foreign affairs minister Riyad Al-Maliki, speaking during the meeting, said that Israel’s practices were an ‘attack on Arabs, Muslims and international norms.’ “Palestinian people are subjected to Israeli apartheid… and the brutal bombing caused the displacement of more than 10,000 citizens from their homes in Gaza” Al-Maliki said. “We must impose economic and political sanctions on Israel.” Al-Maliki also criticised countries that moved to normalise relations with Israel last year. “Normalisation and running towards this colonial Israeli system without achieving peace and ending the Israeli occupation of Arab and Palestinian lands represents support for the apartheid regime and participation in its crimes,” Maliki told the meeting. “This colonial occupation must be confronted, dismantled, ended, and banned. The recently accelerated normalisation will not have an impact on the sentiments of the Arab world or change their assessment.” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu took a similarly hard line. “Israel alone is responsible for the recent escalation in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza,” Cavusoglu said. “Our warnings to Israel last week went unheeded.”