Aboul Gheit: East Jerusalem is an Occupied Territory by Int’l Law

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
TT
20

Aboul Gheit: East Jerusalem is an Occupied Territory by Int’l Law

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit emphasized on Saturday that by international law and the United Nations and Security Council resolutions, East Jerusalem is an “occupied land” and should not be treated otherwise.

On his Twitter page, Aboul Gheit said “those who brandish respect for international laws must not have double standards.”

Aboul Gheit had on Thursday met with the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“Aboul Gheit had listened to the explanation given by the President of Kosovo regarding her country’s efforts to obtain additional international recognition,” Jamal Rushdie, spokesman for the League’s Secretary-General said.

Aboul Gheit stressed that the 2021 decision of Kosovo’s previous administration to open its embassy in Jerusalem is a clear violation of international law.

“The position taken by Kosovo’s former administration to open an embassy in Jerusalem in 2021, although it was a sovereign state decision, we consider it a blatant violation of international law, which considers Jerusalem a city under occupation and does not recognize it as the capital of Israel,” said Aboul Gheit.

Rushdie also stated that Aboul Gheit had conveyed to Kosovo’s President the “need to reconsider this decision, which we believe fails to serve the goal of achieving comprehensive peace in the region, nor does it reflect the deep relations between a number of Arab countries with the people of Kosovo.”



Palestinian President Urges Hamas to Hand over its Arms

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas waves while walking on the day he holds a leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, April 23,2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas waves while walking on the day he holds a leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, April 23,2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman
TT
20

Palestinian President Urges Hamas to Hand over its Arms

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas waves while walking on the day he holds a leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, April 23,2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas waves while walking on the day he holds a leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, April 23,2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Hamas on Wednesday to cede responsibility for the Gaza Strip, hand over its arms to the Palestinian Authority and turn itself into a political party.
Hamas has refused calls in recent months by Israel and the United States to lay down its arms.
Abbas made his remarks in a speech during a meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah at which he is expected to name a successor, part of efforts to answer international doubts over the Palestinian Authority's viability at a critical moment for the region.
"Hamas must hand over (its) Gaza responsibilities and hand over its arms to Palestinian Authority and transform into a political party," Reuters quoted Abbas as saying.
Abbas has criticized the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which he said gave Israel a pretext to destroy Gaza. Israel launched its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza after the Hamas-led attack.
Hamas, which opposes Abbas' efforts at peacemaking with Israel, has accused him of cracking down against militant factions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It did not immediately comment on Abbas's new remarks.
Abbas urged world leaders to compel Israel to end the war in Gaza, pull put its forces and end the activities of Jewish settlements, adding that there can be no peace until the Palestinians establish a state in the borders that were in place before the 1967 Middle East war.