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RIYADH: �������� on Tuesday welcomed a report issued by United Nations investigators which concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which does not speak on behalf of the world body, found that “genocide is occurring in Gaza,” commission chief Navi Pillay said. “The responsibility lies with the State of Israel.”

The Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry said that the report “clearly demonstrates the crimes and violations suffered by the Palestinian people.”

“The Kingdom renews its call on the international community to take serious steps to enforce international resolutions, implement the two-state solution, and end the suffering of the Palestinian people,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, which was created four years ago, has repeatedly documented alleged human rights abuses and violations in Gaza and other Palestinian areas since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel led by Hamas.

The deeply documented findings by the three-member team are the latest accusations of genocide against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as Israel carries on with its war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of people.

The report calls on the international community to end the genocide and take steps to punish those responsible for it.

JEDDAH: The 28th annual conference and exhibition of the Special Libraries Association-Arabian Gulf Chapter began on Tuesday in Jeddah.

Organized in collaboration with the Libraries Commission of the Ministry of Culture, the event is themed “Towards the sustainability of knowledge and the preservation of culture and heritage: Managing rare documents, manuscripts and heritage materials in the era of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.”

Attendees included CEO of the Libraries Commission, Dr. Abdulrahman Alasem, and president of the SLA/AGC, Dr. Hassan Al-Sereihi.

Al-Sereihi said that this was the conference’s first event in the Kingdom, highlighting its origins at Aramco and subsequent move to Bahrain.

He praised the commission’s efforts and emphasized the need to address modern developments in content and information management, particularly in artificial intelligence.

The conference runs for three days at the Crowne Plaza Jeddah, featuring more than 70 scientific papers, 18 workshops, an exhibition of information systems, and a cultural program that includes a tour of historic Jeddah and traditional arts performances.