Arab summit in Cairo focuses on unity on Palestinian issue

The emergency Arab summit in Egypt today is essential to unify Arab positions on Palestine and to present an implementable alternative to prevent transfer schemes, according to diplomats and experts.In statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), diplomats and experts said the summit is key to pave the ground for the Palestinian people to get their legitimate rights, primarily the establishment of an independent state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.They hailed the roles played by both Qatar and Egypt in supporting the Palestinian people at all levels, especially by reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.They added that the efforts by Qatar and Egypt served established an international position supporting the Palestinians and their just and legitimate cause, and alleviated the tragic scene that affected the Gaza Strip and its residents during the brutal war launched by the Israeli occupation on the Strip since October 7, 2023.They expected the summit would facilitate an Arab position to deal with all developments of the Palestinian issue, starting with the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip until it becomes a permanent ceasefire, reaching the stage of reconstruction in Gaza.In this context, Egypt’s former Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva ambassador Mohammed Mounir Zahran said that the emergency Arab summit is being held at a crossroads for the Palestinian cause, especially after the dangerous developments that occurred in the Gaza Strip and the current efforts to implement the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in its three stages.Zahran praised the Qatari-Egyptian co-operation, which led to reaching a ceasefire agreement to protect the Palestinian people, noting that the two countries made sincere efforts that culminated in reaching this agreement, in co-operation with the US.He stressed the need to continue implementing the agreement in the Gaza Strip after the complete destruction and genocide it witnessed, highlighting the importance of immediately starting to rebuild the entire Gaza Strip and holding the Israeli occupation responsible in this regard, while compensating the Palestinian people for the massacres they were subjected to during that war.Meanwhile, Egypt’s Former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs ambassador Hussein Haridi said the summit would focus on formulating an Arab position to deal with all developments of the Palestinian issue, starting with the implementation of the three phases of the Gaza ceasefire deal to be a permanent ceasefire and to facilitate the reconstruction phase.Haridi told QNA that the role played by Qatar and Egypt was a lever for an international position supporting the Palestinians and their just cause and legitimate rights, considering that if it were not for this co-ordination and co-operation between the two brotherly countries and the joint mediation they carried out, the situation would have been much worse than it is now.He stressed the urgent need for a unified, strong and decisive Arab position against forced or voluntary displacement of Palestinians.The US administration now knows the Arab position, and Egypt has prepared a draft plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. The emergency Arab summit will discuss the Egyptian paper, and it is hoped that it will be ratified and become the project that will be presented at that summit, Haridi said.In turn, Egypt’s former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs ambassador Rakha Ahmed Hassan said in a statement that this summit is exceptional and has a specific topic, which is the Palestinian issue in all its branches, as it will address the war on the Gaza Strip and its results and the existing proposal regarding reconstruction. In this context, it will discuss the Egyptian-Arab plan with all its provisions regarding the reconstruction of the Strip, adding that financing this plan requires an international conference in which all countries contribute. He also expressed his hope that the emergency Arab summit will direct an appeal to the international community and the UN to oblige the Israeli occupation to rebuild hospitals, schools and infrastructure.He added that the Arab summit will also discuss the guarantees for implementing the ceasefire agreement in its three stages, stressing the need for the emergency Arab Summit to open the horizon for the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as this represents the only way to stability and peace in the Middle East.In this context, Hassan praised the fruitful co-operation between Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt to achieve the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip as a model to be followed for its positive results, the latest of which was obligating the Israeli Prime Minister to implement the terms of the agreement.In the same context, Professor of Political Science at Cairo University Dr Hassan Salama stressed in a similar statement to QNA the importance of holding the Arab Summit and other Arab meetings at the current stage to adopt a unified Arab position on the ground. Salama called for the need for real Arab co-ordination on the ground amid the critical moments that require giving importance to achieving priorities, primarily the Arab national security as a whole. (QNA)