Arab League, foreign officials condemn Israeli extremism in Palestine

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
10 Sep 2024 19:44

A top Hamas official has urged the Arab League to take appropriate decisions that would stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and protect the al-Aqsa Mosque.

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European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell speaks at Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, while the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, sits to his left, September 10, 2024. (AP)

A member of Hamas' Political Bureau, Osama Hamdan, delivered a video message to the foreign ministers of the Arab League, who met in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday.

Hamdan urged Arab officials to "assume their responsibilities" amid the ongoing Israeli crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and al-Quds, which do not only threaten Palestinians but also "Arab national security."

"We remind their excellencies, the Arab foreign ministers, and the honorable Secretary-General of the Arab League of the [final statement] of the joint summit between the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held last November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which stressed the need for immediate action to halt the (Israeli) aggression, provide relief to the Palestinian people, and lift the blockade (on the Gaza Strip)," Hamdan stated.

Hamas hopes that the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting will lead to decisions on "immediate and direct action" to pressure the Israeli regime and its supporters to end the genocidal war on Gaza, Hamdan explained. He also said that the movement expects that the meeting will expose the Israeli regime's full responsibility for driving mediated ceasefire talks into a dead-end.

He also urged the Arab officials to make decisions that would lead to actions able to protect al-Quds and its holy sites and prevent Israeli attempts to Judiaze the al-Aqsa Mosque Compound.

The official also said that Hamas hopes that the meeting will achieve an immediate severance of political, diplomatic, and economic ties with the Israeli regime.

Arab League SG: There is no choice but to stop the war

During the meeting, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, urged for a halt of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, saying that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is "unwilling to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza."

"There is no choice but to halt the war," Aboul Gheit underlined.

The Secretary-General also revealed during the meeting that an overview of the work of the Al-Quds Committee was conducted and reaffirmed that the league is "working to support the Palestinian [cause], and we adopt all positions in support of Palestinians' rights."

The Arab League also rejected "the presence of (Israeli) occupation forces on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip," noting that Egypt's position on "Israel's" occupation of the Philadelphi Corridor "is clearly and strongly supported by Arab states."

According to Aboul Gheit, the positions of European states are "gradually evolving" to effectively "support the two-state solution and bringing peace to the region."

Borrell: Radical Israeli ministers making it impossible to form a Palestinian state

On that note, the Vice President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, spoke in the ministerial meeting, where he underlined that "Europeans need to adopt a common approach" on the Palestinian issue.

"I have never seen such a dividing issue among the Europeans, as the Israel-Palestine conflict," Borrell said. In fact, the European Union has become deeply divided, with some countries, like Spain, Ireland, and Norway, advocating for the recognition of Palestinian statehood, while others, such as Germany, have taken more hardline stances in their support for the Israeli regime.

Borrell warned against attempts to extend the war on Gaza to the West Bank, where he said that "radical members" of the Netanyahu-led Israeli government are attempting to make it "impossible" to create a future Palestinian state.

He was also critical of the status of ceasefire talks, saying an agreement is unlikely to be signed in the near future.

Borrell said that the stubbornness of those "waging the war" is "accompanied by total impunity," as they completely disregard international law and decisions without worrying about "consequences".

"If the International Court of Justice rulings are totally ignored by those who promote a rules-based order, who can be trusted?"

Turkish FM: Supporters of Netanyahu will be held accountable

Another non-Arab participant in the meeting was the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, whose participation in Cairo marks the first such instance since relations soured between the Arab League and Turkey 13 years ago.

"The Muslim world will do whatever it takes to preserve the Islamic identity of Haram al-Sharif," Fidan said in reference to the al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, in occupied al-Quds.

Fidan also warned supporters of Netanyahu of accountability, saying that they are also accomplices to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

"They will also be held accountable," the top diplomat stated.

Jordanian FM chairs committee on countering Israeli crimes in al-Quds

Ahead of the session, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi chaired the eighth meeting of the Arab Ministerial Committee tasked with countering "Israel's" illegal policies in occupied al-Quds.

Safadi reviewed "Israel's" violations in the occupied city, particularly at its Islamic and Christian holy sites. He discussed the committee's response to the escalating Israeli actions at the al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, paired with "Israel's" ongoing military aggression in Gaza and the West Bank.

Safadi stressed the urgent need to stop the Israeli assault on Gaza to avert further humanitarian catastrophe and ensure sustainable aid delivery to affected areas. He warned that "Israel's" extremist policies toward Palestinians could lead to an explosive situation across the region.

Committee members condemned "Israel's" transgressions as blatant violations of international law, particularly its attempts to alter the Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity of al-Quds. They reaffirmed that "Israel" has no sovereignty over the city or its holy sites, reiterating the Arab world's commitment to a "two-state solution," with the eastern part of al-Quds as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.

The committee also affirmed its support for the Hashemite, a reference to the Jordanian royal family, custodianship of Islamic and Christian sites in al-Quds.