Riyadh summit

At the extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh on Monday, leaders from across the Muslim world called out the relentless Israeli assault on Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, condemning it as nothing less than genocide. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s address cut through the pleasantries, exposing a brutal reality: the international community’s indifference has emboldened Israel’s hand. Pakistan, alongside Saudi Arabia and others, implored the world to break its silence and condemn these atrocities. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman echoed this sentiment, describing Israel’s actions as “collective genocide” against Palestinians, a stark denunciation against an ostensibly unaccountable power. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is an escalating horror, with over 43,600 Palestinians – mostly civilians – killed since Israel’s retaliatory campaign began. These are not numbers; they are lives, each one a testimony to the merciless cycle of violence that Gaza has endured. Yet, as PM Shehbaz emphasised, Israel’s violence is met with a deafening silence from much of the world. The indifference and inaction of the global community has, in effect, sanctioned this annihilation. Calls for a ceasefire, for humanitarian aid, for a reprieve from relentless airstrikes and siege – all fall on deaf ears as world leaders, particularly in the West, opt for complicity over conscience.

While many Western governments have maintained their unquestioning support for Israel, it is the people of these nations who have courageously taken to the streets, staging mass protests on campuses and in city squares. They protest, they resist, and they face consequences, embodying the humanity their governments seem to have forsaken. The very democracies that pride themselves on their commitment to human rights and rule of law now look the other way when Palestinian lives are extinguished. Even their most revered institutions – promoters of democracy and freedom – have justified a blockade starving entire communities, justified the killing of journalists, and turned a blind eye to the devastation left in Israel’s wake. As Muslim leaders stand united, they rightly point to the potential regional escalation. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s call to respect Iran’s sovereignty, despite Saudi-Iranian sectarian divides, speaks volumes. The threat posed by Israel’s indiscriminate violence will not stop at Gaza or Lebanon; unchecked, it will envelop the region in flames, dragging neighbors and distant nations alike into a broader conflict.

The Arab-Islamic Summit underscored a set of demands that the world cannot afford to ignore: an immediate ceasefire, the lifting of Israel’s blockade on Gaza, and an end to the incessant supply of weapons. It called for accountability, an arms embargo, and an urgent re-evaluation of Israel’s UN membership status. These are not radical propositions but are founded in basic decency and international law. The summit’s resolutions challenge the complacency of global powers and spotlight the unyielding resolve of the Arab and Muslim world to seek justice for Palestine. Yet, without Western support, this unified front may fall short. Global leaders must finally prioritise human lives over politics and demonstrate that peace and justice still mean something. If the world’s so-called champions of human rights truly believe in the ideals they espouse, now is the time to rise to the occasion. Anything less would be complicity in genocide.