Oman backs global push for Palestine
In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Friday, Oman welcomed France's position and urged countries that have not yet recognised the Palestinian state to take this step as a moral and political imperative.
'The Sultanate of Oman calls on all countries that have not yet recognised the State of Palestine to do so — embodying the two-state solution and consolidating the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital', the statement said.
Oman added that such recognition would enhance the chances of achieving peace and justice in the Middle East.
Meanwhile in Riyadh, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim bin Mohammed al Budaiwi, also praised the French announcement, calling it 'an important step that reflects the French Republic's firm commitment to justice, international legitimacy and global stability'.
He called on all countries that have not recognised Palestine to 'take this historic and responsible step, which will contribute to alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people and support the path towards a just and lasting peace'.
Al Budaiwi reaffirmed the GCC's unwavering position in support of the Palestinian cause and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump accused Hamas on Friday of not wanting to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza as Israel said it would explore 'alternative options' to rescue hostages after negotiations collapsed.
An Israeli official meanwhile said air drops of aid would resume soon over the Gaza Strip, where aid groups warned of surging numbers of malnourished children as international concern mounted over the deepening humanitarian crisis after more than 21 months of war.
After US and Israeli negotiators quit indirect talks with Hamas in Qatar, Trump said that 'it was was too bad. Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die.'
His special envoy Steve Witkoff accused Hamas of not 'acting in good faith' in the negotiations that ended on Thursday.
Meanwhile, aid groups warned of surging numbers of malnourished children in war-ravaged Gaza as a trio of European powers held an 'emergency call' on Friday on the deepening humanitarian crisis.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that a quarter of the young children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers it had screened at its clinics last week were malnourished, a day after the United Nations said one in five children in Gaza City were suffering from malnutrition. — ONA, Agencies
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