In a significant diplomatic move, Saudi Arabia has voiced its unwavering support for Palestine’s request to involve the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in overseeing the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. The announcement was made during the 108th session of the OPCW’s Executive Council, held recently in The Hague. Led by Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative, Prince Jalawi Bin Turki Al Saud, the mission stressed Saudi Arabia’s strong commitment to ensuring in practice the principles of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
The Saudi Press Agency has reported that it “strongly denounced in a statement use of chemical weapons as a crime and a violation of international convention and international law.” This echoes Riyadh’s commitment to international efforts to demilitarize and places it in support with calls for accountability in conflict zones. The delegation reiterated its backing for Palestine’s appeal to bring international oversight into play amid growing concerns over Israel’s alleged deployment of chemical agents.
Palestine, which joined the OPCW as a member state in 2018, has consistently urged the organization to monitor Israel’s compliance with the CWC. Keeping true to the path paved by the treaty, Israel has not ratified it, which though perfectly legal from its standpoint, has drawn criticism from various quarters of the international community. In the meantime, Egypt, North Korea, and South Sudan remain outside the framework, having steered clear of signing and ratifying the convention.
In a session, while being optimistic about some progress on the Syrian chemical weapons dossier, Saudi Arabia put forth a bit of caution. They stated that there would need to be more international cooperation for a comprehensive resolution to this enduring issue. In addition, they praised the Rabat AI conference’s results on dealing with the measures under the CWC more efficiently through innovations in technological advances.
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, headquartered in The Hague, is the principal enforcement body of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The present system prohibits the development, production, and stockpiling of chemical weapons and their use and mandates their destruction. The Convention embraces 193 state parties. The CWC goes beyond the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which only prohibits the use of chemical weapons without specifications on possession or production.
Saudi Arabia demonstrates its security proactive policy by working with Palestinian demands for justice and transparency through this recent step. The Saudi government supports OPCW oversight because they want to simultaneously solve present challenges while strengthening universal disarmament and non-proliferation commitments of international law.
The ongoing Middle Eastern tensions underline why Saudi Arabia demonstrates that global disputes require united cooperation to uphold worldwide norms. The growing central part OPCW will play in monitoring compliance highlights a universal desire for peace and stability which led to increased calls for enhanced inspection activities in occupied Palestinian territories throughout one of the planet’s most unbalanced regions.
The Saudi Arabian commitment to this leadership position reinforces its dedication to human rights defense and worldwide dialogue between nations.
