Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia and Palestine, continue their consultations in preparation for an emergency Arab summit to discuss efforts to stop the war in Gaza.
Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League Hossam Zaki told Asharq Al-Awsat that consultations are ongoing between Palestine, the Saudi leadership, and other countries.
On Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged Arab leaders to convene an emergency summit to stop Israeli attacks in Gaza.
Abbas said: "I call on Arab leaders to hold an emergency Arab summit to stop Israel's brutal aggression against the Palestinians, team up in countering international challenges, and go great lengths so that our people can stay on their land and end the occupation of our state, with Jerusalem as its capital."
The Assistant Secretary-General explained that there is Saudi-Palestinian coordination regarding the summit.
The League still needs to start the official preparations for the summit. However, Zaki believes that under the current circumstances, it would be difficult for two-thirds of the members not to agree to hold an emergency summit in Egypt or Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, spokesman for the Sec-Gen of the Arab League Jamal Rushdie indicated that consultations are now underway to determine a date and location of the summit.
Rushdie told Asharq Al-Awsat that the summit is expected to be held in Saudi Arabia.
In May, Saudi Arabia hosted the 32nd Regular Session of the Arab League Council at the Summit Level.
The upcoming summit, once held, is set to discuss ways to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza, the issue of hostages, and allowing sustainable entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip, according to Zaki.
The League held an emergency meeting at the level of foreign ministers on October 11 at its headquarters in Cairo to discuss the crisis in Gaza, which concluded with a call for urgent international action to stop the war.
The meeting condemned the targeting of civilians and warned against displacing Palestinian people.
Furthermore, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed the recent military escalations in Gaza with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Jordan Ayman Safadi.
Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement that the two calls come within the framework of coordinating Arab efforts to deal with the unprecedented military escalation in the Strip, the ongoing attacks against Palestinians, and ways to implement an immediate humanitarian truce.
On Sunday, the Arab League Sec-Gen, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, met with Belgium's Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib in Cairo.
Aboul Gheit lauded Belgium's position on the Palestinian cause, including its vote on the UN General Assembly's Arab-drafted resolution calling for a humanitarian truce in Gaza.
He said the Belgian position reflects just principles, contrary to the double standards practiced by some countries.
Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the ongoing Israeli aggression and collective punishment pursued by the occupation forces. He said their practices amount to war crimes including bombing hospitals, completely cutting off communications aiming to isolate the enclave, and bombing innocent civilians, most of whom are children and women.
Both sides agreed on the need for the international community to carry out its tasks to rescue and protect civilians and implement international humanitarian law.
They affirmed their rejection of Israel's policy of transferring or forcibly displacing Gazans to neighboring countries.
