Arab foreign ministers have called for sustained and “strong” efforts to halt the war in Gaza and preserve the Palestinian statehood plan, while rejecting any schemes for forced displacement or undermining the Palestinian cause.
The issue topped the agenda of the 164th ordinary session of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level, held Thursday at the League’s headquarters in Cairo.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the meeting came at “a critical and dangerous moment.”
He described Israel’s campaign in Gaza as a “war of extermination” that goes beyond killing and revenge against a defenseless population.
“The aim is to undermine the Palestinian cause in its entirety, erasing the statehood project by displacing the people, seizing their land, and annexing it illegally,” he warned.
Aboul Gheit stressed that the overarching Arab objective is “to stop the massacre Israel is trying to expand” and to defend the two-state solution as the foundation for regional stability and the future of generations to come. He noted that nearly 150 countries have recognized Palestine.
He also condemned the US decision to deny visas to Palestinian representatives seeking to attend this month’s UN General Assembly, calling it a “clear violation” of international law and of Washington’s obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement.
The Trump administration last week announced it would not issue visas to officials from the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority for the Assembly’s 80th session, which opens on September 25.
Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the ministers were meeting in “extraordinary regional circumstances.”
He accused Israel of trying to “redraw the map of the region and impose its dominance over the Arab world.”
Safadi urged a comprehensive Arab strategy to confront the threat, while reiterating support for Egyptian, Qatari, and US efforts to achieve a permanent Gaza ceasefire. He also reaffirmed the “red line” of rejecting Palestinian displacement.
Moreover, Safadi condemned Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank as an attempt to block the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
He highlighted the significance of the Saudi-French “Two-State Solution Conference” and its follow-up event scheduled on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
On Sudan, Aboul Gheit described the situation as “a relentless depletion of the country’s resources and its people’s future,” while welcoming the formation of a civilian government. He expressed hope this would help stabilize institutions and mitigate the war’s devastation.
He reaffirmed support for Lebanon’s efforts to ensure exclusive state control over arms and urged the US mediator to curb repeated Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
Safadi, meanwhile, stressed support for Syria’s reconstruction, national unity, and sovereignty, calling its stability “a strategic necessity.”
UAE Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen al-Marar said the current stage “requires courage and a revitalization of Arab League action.”
He reaffirmed that justice for the Palestinians can only be achieved through an independent sovereign state, and urged the international community to build on growing recognition of Palestine by increasing pressure to halt the war in Gaza, deliver unhindered humanitarian aid, and stop displacement and annexation.
