Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered Bahrain’s statement, as the current president of the current session of the Arab Summit during the open debate session of the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue.

The minister affirmed that Bahrain’s declaration from the 33rd Arab Summit held in Bahrain last May under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, emphasised the unified Arab position calling for a just and comprehensive peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue. The declaration included an irreversible step towards implementing the two-state solution in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions, ensuring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish their independent sovereign state.

Dr. Al Zayani said that the Middle East region has suffered from devastating wars, conflicts, and bitter disputes over past decades, resulting in significant loss of life, property, infrastructure, which resulted in painful humanitarian crises, adding that these wars have violated international laws and treaties, posing a significant threat to regional security and stability, and endangering international peace and security.

The minister affirmed that the situation in the region necessitates intensified efforts by the international community, particularly the Security Council, to achieve sustainable solutions to all conflicts and disputes that have prolonged in the region. He added that the solutions must include establishing just and lasting peace that preserves the rights of all peoples to life, freedom, dignity, and coexistence in a space of tolerance and coexistence.

Dr. Al Zayani noted that despite international efforts to bring peace to the Middle East, these efforts have not achieved peace and stability in the region and its peoples continue to suffer greatly from bloodshed, displacement, deprivation of life’s necessities, and the lack of hope for a better future.

The minister emphasised that the painful tragedy experienced by Palestinian civilians in Gaza over the past nine months is immense and intolerable, not only due to lives lost but also because of their deprivation of food, water, medicine, healthcare, education, and basic services. He called for an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, immediate assistance to civilians in Gaza, and release of hostages and detainees.

He also reiterated that the 33rd Arab Summit affirmed the steadfast Arab position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, demonstrating that Arab states collectively adopted the path of a just and permanent peace as a strategic choice to achieve triumph in our humanitarian will in the “peace battle”.

He added that Bahrain as the current President of the 33rd Arab Summit, participates in this Security Council session to reaffirm the complete solidarity of Arab states and their steadfast commitment to peace.

The minister affirmed that the Bahrain Summit represented a message of peace and solidarity to the world, endorsing several important initiatives, notably calling for an international peace conference in the Middle East to resolve the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution.

Dr. Al Zayani said that Bahrain expressed its readiness to host this conference, alongside supporting full recognition of the State of Palestine and its membership in the United Nations.

He affirmed that Bahrain has also pledged to provide educational and healthcare services to those affected by conflicts and disputes in the region in cooperation with international and regional organisations, and to enhance Arab cooperation in financial technology, innovation, and digital transformation.

Dr. Al Zayani emphasised that the peaceful process involving only direct parties or a limited number of countries cannot achieve the broader regional participation that has become an essential requirement for establishing a stable and sustainable environment in the Middle East and achieving peace, security and prosperity for all countries and their peoples in the region.

In conclusion of Bahrain’s statement, the minister called on the Security Council and the international community to work diligently and effectively with Arab states to end this long-standing conflict and to provide a better future for the Middle East region, by forming an international alliance of countries interested in achieving peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East.

BNA