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Saudi King Abdullah labels Israeli offensive against Gaza “war crime” | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz. (Saudi Press Agency)


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The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz. (Saudi Press Agency)

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz. (Saudi Press Agency)

Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi King Abdullah on Friday criticized international inaction regarding the situation in Gaza, labeling Israeli’s military offensive a “war crime against humanity.”

A statement read out on behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, on Saudi state television on Friday, said that: “This (international) community which has observed silently what is happening in the whole region, was indifferent to what is happening, as if what is happening is not its concern. Silence [such as this] has no justification.”

“We see the blood of our brothers in Palestine being shed in collective massacre, that have spared nobody, and in war crimes against humanity . . . all taking place before the eyes and ears of the international community,” the King’s statement said.

King Abdullah affirmed that the Muslim world is going through a “historic and vulnerable phase,” adding that “the terrorists think that their . . .backbones have been strengthened but they are delusional.”

“What these terrorists are doing in the name of religion is shameful and disgraceful,” the statement added, citing “the killing of people whose killing God has forbidden, and mutilating their bodies and feeling proud in promoting this,” the King’s statement added according to the state-owned Saudi Press Agency.

The Saudi King did not explicitly name any country or groups when talking about “terrorists” but appeared to be referencing the situation in the region as a whole, including both the latest conflict in Gaza, as well as the situation in Iraq and Syria.

“They have distorted the pure and humane image of Islam and smeared it with all sorts of bad qualities by their actions, their injustices and their crimes,” the statement said.

King Abdullah added that “terrorism has many manifestations, the most dangerous being state terrorism.”