An exceptional location, extraordinary summits. Thus, while for more than a year the fate of Palestine has been the subject of daily negotiations at the international level with the direct involvement of certain Arab countries in the region, the situation in the Near and Middle East has reached a paroxysm which now calls for unity. At the initiative of Saudi Arabia, so influential in the region, the Kings and Heads of Arab and Muslim States held a summit which has the merit of clarifying everyone’s positions by adopting a joint resolution which cannot be clearer.
Morocco, which was represented by the Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch, was once again decisive in this momentum through the words of our King and the content of his speech delivered for the last Throne Day on the one hand, and on the other hand his commitment and his action as President of the Al-Quds Committee, to which all the countries present reiterated their unconditional support. This support is all the more important given that the questioned UNRWA mandate leaves very few alternatives for delivering emergency humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
But, beyond the displayed and collective awareness of the seriousness of the moment, what is notable about this summit are the terms used by the countries present in the final resolution adopted.
Summit participants “strongly condemned” the actions of the Israeli army, described as “a crime of genocide (…) particularly in the north of the Gaza Strip in recent weeks”. They also called on the international community to “ban the export or transfer of arms and ammunition to Israel” and condemned “the continued attacks by the Israeli authorities (…) against the UN”. Finally, the leaders of Arab and Muslim countries called on Israel to completely withdraw from the Arab territories it occupies to achieve a “comprehensive” peace in the Middle East.
It is unequivocal and precise, the Arab and Muslim world, whatever its circumstantial or individual connections with the Hebrew State, denounces the disrespect of international law by Israel, the attack on the few achievements of the Palestinians and on the stability of other sovereign states, Lebanon in the lead. So that Sunni Saudi Arabia, the sworn enemy of Shiite Iran, through the words of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, affirms that Israel should “refrain from attacking” Iran and describes Iran as “ Sister Republic”, is that the concern of a fatal conflagration for the entire region is great.
Why was it so important that the violins of representatives of the Arab-Muslim community were in tune? Because in addition to the message of solidarity and support for the Palestinians, that nothing seems to announce the imminent relief, faced with the arrival of Trump, the terms of the negotiations had to be displayed before it was too late.
It was necessary to forcefully and insistently remind us that only a two-state solution is possible to put a lasting end to the conflict, with Gaza as an integral part of the territories of the independent Palestinian State and Al-Quds Oriental as its capital. Because on the Israeli side, it is now in a completely uninhibited manner that we respond that wanting to establish a Palestinian state is not “today” a “realistic” project, as Minister Gideon Saar declared on Monday. Israeli Foreign Affairs, the same day as the Summit was held in Riyadh.
The new American administration, since it is towards it that all eyes and hopes are turned, will have a hard time reconciling the diametrically opposed positions between the protagonists in the region. While waiting for it to settle down quietly and address the world’s problems at its own pace, the Palestinians, the Lebanese, will wait.
Zouhair Yata
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