Russia-Arab ministers stressed on Wednesday the need to guarantee the safety and security of maritime traffic in the Gulf and the Red Sea, a final communique by the Russia-Arab Cooperation forum said.
The ministers condemned “acts that target the security and safety of maritime traffic and facilities, energy supplies, oil pipelines and facilities,” they said after the forum was held in Marrakech.
They also “strongly condemned the Israeli aggressive war” on Palestinians in Gaza and rejected justifying it as self-defense, the communique added.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, representing Moscow at the meeting, expressed hope that the UN Security Council would adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The UN Security Council was supposed to vote on a resolution calling for a pause to the Israel-Hamas war on Tuesday after being postponed from Monday.
However, the voting process didn’t go through on Tuesday and was postponed yet again to Wednesday, with differences over the text.
“We hope that the Security Council will raise its voice for a mature resolution [calling for a ceasefire],” Lavrov said.“We have agreed to continue coordination within the United Nations.”
The forum, which usually focuses on diplomatic and economic ties, was dominated by the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Chaired by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, the meeting was attended by Lavrov and diplomats from the 22-member Arab League.
“We hope that the Security Council can adopt this resolution and that there will not be a veto from a permanent member, notably the United States,” said Hossam Zaki, assistant secretary general of the league.
“The Arab hope is that the United States understands that international patience is exhausted in the face of Israel’s practices.”
For his part, the Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit said during his virtual participation at the forum that “those who stand against an immediate ceasefire in Gaza have the blood of innocent people on their hands.”
Aboul Gheit added that the Arab League values countries that have decided since the beginning “to side with the right side of history.”
He also warned that Israel’s plan is “now clear and that is to destroy the Palestinian community in Gaza…or forcibly displace its people… to separate them from their land and [hence] end the Palestinian cause …[but this] will never happen.”
UK foreign minister David Cameron and German counterpart Annalena Baerbock stressed that the “need is urgent” for a “sustainable ceasefire” in Gaza in a joint article for Britain’s Sunday Times.
The two ministers wrote in a joint Sunday Times article that “too many civilians have been killed” in the conflict, and raised the pressure on Israel to bring its operation against Hamas to a swift, but “sustainable,” end.
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“We must do all we can to pave the way to a sustainable ceasefire, leading to a sustainable peace. The sooner it comes, the better -- the need is urgent,” they wrote.
However, the pair also said that they “do not believe that calling right now for a general and immediate ceasefire, hoping it somehow becomes permanent, is the way forward.
“It ignores why Israel is forced to defend itself: Hamas barbarically attacked Israel and still fires rockets to kill Israeli citizens every day. Hamas must lay down its arms,” they added.
The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday night overwhelmingly demanded a ceasefire in Gaza, but the UK abstained.
Israel is coming increasing pressure from its allies over its war in Gaza, with key backer the United States criticizing its bombing in response to the October 7 attacks as “indiscriminate.”
Responding to questions about the UK government’s change of tone, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden on Sunday urged Israel to show restraint.
“Israel is dealing with a very difficult situation,” he told the BBC’s “Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg” show.
“If you’re going after an enemy that literally hides underneath hospitals, hides amongst the civilian population, you are going to sustain high levels of civilian casualties.
“What we as a UK government are saying is Israel, you do need to exercise restraint,” he added.
The war began after Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 that killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw around 240 hostages taken, according to Israeli authorities.
Vowing to destroy Hamas and to bring the hostages home, Israel launched a withering offensive on Gaza, which is ruled by the militant group.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, the war has killed more than 18,800 people, mostly women and children.
