Arab leaders reaffirm their rejection of Displacjng the Palestinian People, Condemn the Israeli Attacks on Syria

The final statement of the extraordinary Arab summit, “Palestine Summit,” held in Cairo today, reaffirmed the Arab position in rejection of any form of displacement of the Palestinian people from their land or within it.

It indicated that any attempts to displace them or annex any part of their occupied land would lead to a new phase of conflicts in the region, undermine opportunities for stability, and expand the scope of the conflict.

The final statement condemned the Israeli attacks on Syria and the Israeli incursions into Syrian territory, calling on the international community and the Security Council to take immediate action to enforce international law, compel “Israel” to cease its aggression, and withdraw from the Syrian territories it occupied in clear violation of the 1974 ceasefire agreement.

Here are highlights from the final statement of the summit:

• Emphasizing on the strategic option of achieving a just and comprehensive peace that achieves the rights of the Palestinian people, particularly their right to freedom and an independent sovereign state on their national territory.

• Intensifying cooperation with international and regional powers to achieve a comprehensive and just peace in the region, ensuring the establishment of an independent sovereign Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Al Quds as its capital.

• Reaffirming the clear Arab position, firmly rejecting any form of displacement of the Palestinian people from their land or within it, under any name, circumstance, justification or pretext, considering it a grave violation of international law, a crime against humanity and ethnic cleansing.

• Condemning the recent decision by the Israeli government to halt the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza Strip and to close the crossings used for relief efforts, emphasizing that these measures constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement, international law, and international humanitarian law.

• Warning that any malicious attempts to displace the Palestinian people or attempts to annex any part of the occupied Palestinian territory would lead the region into a new phase of conflicts, undermine opportunities for stability, and expand the scope of the conflict.

• Adopting the plan presented by Egypt regarding early recovery and reconstruction of Gaza as a comprehensive Arab plan, and working to provide all forms of financial, material, and political support for its implementation, urging the international community and international and regional funding institutions to promptly provide the necessary support for the plan.

• Welcoming the convening of an international conference in Cairo, as soon as possible, for the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza Strip, in cooperation with Palestine and the United Nations, and urging the international community to participate in it to expedite the rehabilitation of Gaza Strip.

• Welcoming the Palestinian decision to form a Gaza Management Committee under the umbrella of the Palestinian government, composed of qualified individuals from the sector, for a transitional period while working on empowering the national authority to return to Gaza, embodying the political and geographical unity of the occupied Palestinian territories of 1967.

• Calling for an end to the Israeli aggression in the West Bank, including settlement activities, apartheid, home demolitions, land confiscation, destruction of infrastructure, and military incursions into Palestinian cities, and reaffirming complete rejection of any attempts to displace the Palestinians.

• Emphasizing the vital and irreplaceable role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in carrying out its mandate as granted by the United Nations resolution that established it in its five areas of operation.

• Calling for the establishment of an international fund in cooperation with the United Nations to support the orphans of Gaza, victims of the brutal Israeli aggression, numbering around 40,000 children, and to provide assistance and prosthetic limbs for thousands of injured individuals, particularly children.

• Urging countries to commit to implementing the advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice and its orders regarding the crimes of “Israel,” the occupying power and emphasizing the necessity of prosecuting all those responsible for serious violations and crimes committed against the Palestinian people.

• Mandating a legal committee from the Arab states party to the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to study the classification of the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land, forced expulsion, coercive transfer, ethnic cleansing, and deportation as part of the crime of genocide.

• Condemning the Israeli attacks on the Syrian Arab Republic and the incursion into its territory, which constitutes a blatant violation of international law, an aggression against Syria’s sovereignty, and a dangerous escalation that increases tension and conflict.

• Calling on the international community and the Security Council to take immediate action to enforce international law and to compel “Israel” to cease its aggression and withdraw from the Syrian territories it occupied in clear violation of the 1974 ceasefire agreement.

• Reaffirming that Golan is an occupied Syrian territory, and rejecting “Israel’s” decision to annex it and impose its sovereignty over it.

• Emphasizing the necessity of implementing the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon in all its provisions and adhering to Security Council Resolution 1701, as well as condemning the Israeli violations of both, and demanding that “Israel” withdraw completely from Lebanon to the internationally recognized borders.

Souha Suleiman