New york: Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jassem Al-Budaiwi reaffirmed that regional stability begins with the establishment of the State of Palestine on the world's legal and diplomatic map.
According to Kuwait News Agency, Al-Budaiwi made the remarks late on Monday during the high-level ministerial session of the United Nations Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution held at the United Nations headquarters in New York. He urged the international community to join the Global Alliance for the implementation of the Two-State Solution and officially recognize Palestine as a path to rebuilding trust and achieving genuine peace.
He stressed that the Palestinian cause has remained central to the GCC's conscience since its inception in 1981. Al-Budaiwi called on countries that have yet to recognize the State of Palestine to take this sovereign step, describing it as both a political and moral necessity for launching genuine peace negotiations.
He reaffirmed the GCC's commitment to keeping the Palestinian cause present in the consciousness of the international community and to continuously counter any attempts to marginalize or bypass it. He highlighted 2002 as a pivotal moment when the GCC fully endorsed the Arab Peace Initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia, which laid a solid foundation for the equation of possible peace, explicitly calling for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
In his speech, Al-Budaiwi praised countries that have recognized the State of Palestine, describing it as a clear expression of their commitment to international justice and a reflection of the political awareness that peace could not be built on denial. He extended an invitation to the remaining countries to recognize Palestine, stating that continued denial of one party's legitimacy perpetuates an imbalance in the peace process.
Al-Budaiwi also reiterated the GCC's firm stances, supporting the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, condemning Israeli occupation ongoing aggression in Gaza, supporting reconstruction efforts, and rejecting settlement policies that undermine the two-state solution.
He condemned the Israeli occupation attacks on Iran, Lebanon, and Syria, warning of their serious impact on regional and international security. Al-Budaiwi condemned the Israeli occupation Knesset's approval of a draft resolution to impose Israeli occupation sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and Jordan Valley, calling it a blatant violation of international law and UN resolutions and warning that this escalatory step threatens regional stability.