34th Arab League Summit Held in Baghdad
The 34th Arab League Summit began on May 17 in Baghdad, with Israel's war on Gaza dominating the talks, besides other regional issues, news agencies report.
Speaking at the opening session, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid condemned "the ongoing Israeli aggression against Gaza." "We reaffirm our firm stance rejecting all attempts to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip under any pretext or circumstances," the president said.
Rashid also emphasized the importance of collective security across the Arab world, saying: "Our shared Arab security cannot be fragmented." He called on Arab countries to work together to safeguard it.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani proposed the establishment of an Arab fund to support recovery and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of crises, conflicts, and wars. "Iraq is contributing $20 million for the reconstruction of Gaza, and another $20 million for the reconstruction of brotherly Lebanon," he said.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi emphasized that even if Israel succeeds in securing normalization agreements, stability in the region will remain out of reach without a comprehensive peace and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The summit's closing statement reaffirmed the centrality of the Palestinian cause as the cause of the Arab nation and a cornerstone of regional stability. The Arab leaders expressed absolute support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to freedom, self-determination, and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine.
Participants called for an immediate halt to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and demanded intensified efforts to pressure for the opening of crossings and the delivery of humanitarian aid to all Palestinian territories, Al Mayadeen reported. The statement also emphasized the need to implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions issued since the onset of the aggression.
Arab leaders "rejected any form of forced displacement of Palestinians from their land under any pretext and welcomed international recognition of the State of Palestine," Al Mayadeen reported. "The statement particularly commended Spain, Norway, and Ireland for their recent recognition and urged other nations to follow suit. Support was also expressed for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's call to convene an international peace conference aimed at resolving the Palestinian issue on the basis of international legitimacy."
Hamas commended the summit's final declaration for including "a clear condemnation of the aggression, a firm rejection of forced displacement, and a strong reaffirmation of the centrality of the Palestinian cause and the right of return, freedom, and statehood with Al-Quds as the capital." In a statement issued on Saturday, coinciding with the 34th session of the Arab League summit held in Baghdad, Hamas had condemned the "brutal and systematic campaign of extermination" carried out by the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza and urged the Arab League for action. Hamas called on the Arab summit to assume its "historic responsibility" by adopting practical measures to stop the aggression, lift the blockade, and implement the resolutions of the 2023 Riyadh summit that called for the immediate entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. It also demanded urgent Arab and international sanctions on the Zionist state of Israel and that its leaders be held to account as war criminals.
(Al Mayadeen)
This article was published in
Volume 55 Number 11 - May 21, 2025
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2025/Articles/TS55117.HTM
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