STORY: Saudi FM calls on Israel to respect int'l law
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 28, 2024
DATELINE: Jan. 29, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:52
LOCATION: Cairo
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. exterior shot of Egypt's Foreign Ministry
2. various of a press conference 
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): FAISAL BIN FARHAN AL SAUD, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister

STORYLINE:

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Sunday urged Israel to respect international law.

He made the remarks during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo, in which both called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and aid to reach those in need, according to Saudi state-owned Al Arabiya News channel.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic): FAISAL BIN FARHAN AL SAUD, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister
"We have addressed the situation in Palestine and have asserted our common priorities regarding the immediate cease fire and the delivery of enough, basic humanitarian aid. There is a systematic policy of starvation and siege, in a collective punishment of the Palestinian people in Gaza. All these are clear violations of the international humanitarian law and the international law as well."

The Saudi official said that Saudi Arabia, along with other Arab states, will continue to exert pressure to protect the Palestinian people.

Speaking of Israel's rejection of the ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, he stressed that international laws and international humanitarian laws should be as applicable to Israel as to others.

The ICJ on Friday ordered Israel to take all possible measures within its power to prevent genocide acts against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The orders, according to the court, are legally binding.

The court, however, did not order Israel to suspend its military operations in Gaza, one of the main requests submitted by South Africa, while also calling on Hamas to release all Israeli hostages.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Cairo.
(XHTV)