The governments of Saudi Arabia and South Korea published an extensive joint statement on Tuesday in which they addressed the ongoing aftermath of a barbaric massacre of civilians in Israel by the genocidal jihadist group Hamas, urging full protection for civilians in Israel and Hamas-controlled territories and “durable peace.”
The statement – which also addressed at length the Russian invasion of Ukraine, North Korea’s illegal nuclear weapons program, and defense and commercial cooperation between the two signatory countries – was notable as it did not condemn Israel for its targeted operations against Hamas territories or demand a “ceasefire” that would prevent Israel from responding to the Hamas attack. Many Arab and Muslim leaders around the world have responded to the Hamas attack by demanding Israel not defend itself from terrorists and failing to condemn Hamas for initiating the current crisis.
On October 7, Hamas terrorists, who are headquartered in Gaza, invaded Israel for a rampage they branded the “al-Aqsa flood.” The terrorists went door-to-door massacring entire families, taking hostages, and torturing victims. The bodies of those found showed extensive signs of torture; Israeli authorities have revealed to journalists evidence of torture, including the charred bodies of entire families, babies found burned alive and decapitated, and dead children with knives still stuck in their bodies. The victims ranged from newborns to octogenarians; estimates suggest over 1,200 people were killed on that day. At press time, another 220 people are believed to be trapped under Hamas control as hostages in Gaza.
The Palestinian terror attack happened on the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, the final day of the annual High Holy Day cycle.
With the exceptions of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, most Middle Eastern states have not categorically condemned Hamas for the mass killings. Instead, countries such as Egypt and Jordan, who refuse to take in Palestinians fleeing Hamas, have demanded Israel not protect its citizens and parroted Hamas talking points about the establishment of a Palestinian state. A meeting of regional and Western leaders in Cairo on Sunday, dubbed the “Cairo Summit for Peace,” ended with no joint statement as, reportedly, the Arab states refused encouragement to condemn the slaughter of civilians by Hamas and demanded more forceful statements against Israel.
The Saudi government’s joint statement with South Korea – whose president, Yoon Suk-Yeol, is in Riyadh for meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other leaders – departed from the tenor of many statements from neighboring countries in not demanding a ceasefire or condemning Israel.
“Regarding the currently escalating situation between Israel and Palestine, the two sides rejected targeting civilians in any way, emphasizing the importance of protecting civilians in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law,” the statement read, “and agreed to work with the international community for the rapid and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to suffering civilians.”
“The two sides stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading and the need for political solution and durable peace based on the two-state solution,” it continued. “The Korean side highly appreciated the Kingdom’s leadership in this regard, in particular, including the Arab Peace Initiative.”
Yoon is in South Korea to ink multi-million-dollar trade deals. His government has expressed particular interest in “defense cooperation” with Saudi Arabia, likely in the form of Seoul selling Riyadh high-tech weapons.
“The defense industry is emerging as a blue ocean in our cooperation with Saudi Arabia,” Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo, who accompanied Yoon to the Middle East, said this week. “Large-scale defense industry cooperation discussions are in the final stage, in various areas such as antiaircraft defense systems and firearms.”
Korean news outlets reported that Saudi Arabia is likely most interested in the Cheongung-II missile defense system, which could help the country protect from incoming rocket fire from Yemen. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi terrorist organization – whose slogan is “Allah is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam” – has increased attacks on Saudi Arabia since American President Joe Biden inexplicably removed the group from America’s list of designated foreign terrorist organizations in 2021. Biden followed up that decision by halting “offensive” arms sales to Saudi Arabia, leaving a void South Korea appears eager to fill.
South Korea explicitly sided with Saudi Arabia on the ongoing Yemeni civil war against the Houthis in the joint statement published on Tuesday.
“Concerning the Yemeni issue, the two sides stressed the importance of full support for international and regional efforts to reach a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis,” the statement read. “The Korean side praised the Kingdom’s efforts and numerous initiatives aimed at encouraging dialogue and reconciliation between the Yemeni parties, in addition to its role in providing and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to all regions of Yemen.”
On the issue of Israel, the joint statement offered a more neutral stance than Saudi Arabia’s original response to the October 7 Hamas attack. On that day, the Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned “Israeli occupation forces” and failed to condemn Hamas for its mass murder. Similarly, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reportedly in a conversation with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, demanded “an immediate halt to the escalation between the two sides, the protection of civilians, and restraint.”
“The Kingdom recalls its repeated warnings of the dangers of the explosion of the situation as a result of the continued occupation … renews the call of the international community to assume its responsibilities and activate a credible peace process that leads to the two-state solution,” the statement continued.
Prior to the Hamas attack, Saudi Arabia had initiated a process of thawing relations with Israel. Less than a week before the terrorist onslaught, Riyadh welcomed an Israeli delegation to hold a formal Jewish prayer marking the holiday of Sukkot, a near-unprecedented event. In late September, Mohammed bin Salman described progress in talks with Israel: “every day, we get closer.”
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to reflect a revised number on the death toll from the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. The Israeli government estimate of 1,400 was revised to around 1,200, according to Reuters.
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