G20: Israel says summary statement 'unbalanced and biased', urges to 'include recognition of nation's right to defend itself'

TEL AVIV: Ahead of the G20 summit in Brazil, Israel dubbed the summary statement addressing the Israel-Gaza conflict "unbalanced" and "biased" towards the nation and urged to "include recognition of Israel's right to defend itself."

In a post on X, foreign affairs minister Gideon Sa'ar said that he held telephonic conversations with his counterparts participating in the forum regarding the matter.

"Ahead of this week's G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, I held phone conversations over the weekend with foreign ministers of countries participating in the forum. This was in light of information we received regarding a draft of a summary resolution that is both unbalanced and biased against Israel," Sa'ar stated in the post.


Sa'ar said that he placed demands regarding additions to the summary statement addressing the Isreal-Gaza conflict during his conversation.

"In my discussions with my counterparts, I stated that the summary statement addressing the conflict in our region must include recognition of Israel's right to defend itself, a demand for the release of all hostages held by Hamas terrorists for more than 400 days under horrific conditions, and condemnation of both Hamas and Hezbollah," Sa'ar said.

Sa'ar warned that any other statement that does not address Israel's concerns "will harm the peace and security" of the region.

"Any such statement that fails to address these elements will harm peace and security and only serve to encourage Iran and its proxies to continue to spread instability throughout the Middle East," Sa'ar said.

The G20 Leaders' Summit is scheduled for November 18 and 19, 2024, in Brazil, with the presence of the leaders of the 19 member countries, along with the African Union and the European Union.

On the war front, Israel continued its military operation against Hamas and Hezbollah in Beirut as Lebanese officials evaluated a ceasefire proposal presented by the US.

Israel on Saturday destroyed five buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, including one near the busy Tayouneh intersection. The Israeli military stated that its fighter jets targeted munitions depots, a headquarters, and other infrastructure used by the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah, according to Al Jazeera.

The Israel-Gaza conflict escalated after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. Soon Hezbollah began launching rockets and drones at northern Israel communities daily. More than 68,000 residents of northern Israel are displaced from their homes. Hezbollah leaders have repeatedly said they would continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes.