Escalating rhetoric, Saudis accuse Israel of ‘continuous genocidal massacres’ in Gaza

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan attends a news conference about the Israel-Hamas war, December 8, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

In perhaps its most strongly worded statement against Israel since the war against Hamas in Gaza began, the Saudi Foreign Ministry accuses Israel of committing “continuous genocidal massacres” by targeting “the tents of defenseless Palestinian refugees in Rafah,” saying it holds Jerusalem accountable for “what is happening in Rafah and all across the occupied Palestinian territories.”

Riyadh, which was in talks to normalize relations with Israel before the war erupted, has been escalating its rhetoric against the Jewish state as the talks have faltered, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refusing demands to commit to a credible path toward a future Palestinian state as part of the normalization talks.

In its statement, the ministry says Israel’s “continuous blatant violations of all international and humanitarian resolutions, laws, and norms… exacerbate the magnitude of the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe experienced by the Palestinian people.”

It urges the world to “stop the massacres” and “hold those responsible accountable.”