The Arab League confirmed that an emergency summit, which will be held on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, will express a solid Arab position in support of Palestinian rights, and convey an Arab-Palestinian message to the world about the centrality of the political solution to the Palestinian cause.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, the assistant secretary general of the Arab League, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, said that Arab foreign ministers will discuss on Thursday the draft resolution submitted by Palestine, and come up with a common stance.
The Arab diplomat stressed that western countries have “fallen morally in the current Gaza crisis,” adding that all talk of human rights and respect for them “has vanished when speaking about the Palestinian human being.”
Zaki considered that the positions of Moscow and Beijing were more rational than that of the West.
“Russia and China are friendly countries and have a much greater understanding of what is happening... This situation enables them to adopt better, more balanced and rational positions than the West. We do not say that they are with us one hundred percent, but they stand in much better positions,” he said.
Asked about his assessment of the US position on the Gaza crisis, the official said it is “a stance that is not positive, to say the least, and is very unfair towards the Palestinian situation and Palestinian rights.”
The official expressed an Arab determination to thwart any Israeli plans to forcibly displace Palestinians from their lands, noting that the Arab League will establish a mechanism to monitor Israeli genocide crimes and follow them up legally.
Regarding Arab perceptions of the future of the Gaza Strip, he said: “The Arabs refuse to talk about this matter before the ceasefire.”
Although “the Arab League is not a party to the ongoing ceasefire efforts,” according to Zaki, it “is actively following these endeavors...”
“The Israeli side is still rejecting the ceasefire, and is trying to barter the truce for the release of the hostages... There are Arab and other parties assuming roles in this effort.”
He also confirmed the presence of an Israeli plan to displace the Palestinians, saying: “Yes, we are convinced that Israel has this project, ambitions, and these ideas, but, God willing, we will thwart it completely.”
Zaki went on to say: “The Palestinian issue is not a security file, or a ‘war on terrorism’ issue... This is a complex issue with backgrounds and a history known to everyone, and the world must continue to view it as a political problem and deal with it on this basis.”
A few days before the emergency Arab summit hosted by Riyadh, the Arab League assistant secretary-general said that preparations were proceeding at an excellent pace.
He added that the Arab ministerial meeting will “discuss the draft resolution proposed by Palestine, which will include a set of elements that address the political situation.”
