JEDDAH, Friday, May 19, 2023 (WAFA) – Under the theme Renewal and Change, the 32nd summit of the Arab League kick-started today in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah in the presence of President Mahmoud Abbas.
The summit began with a speech by the President of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in his capacity as the head of the 31st session of the Arab League Summit, delivered on his behalf by Prime Minister Aymen Benabderrahmane.
Algerian Prime Minister: The international community must ensure international protection for the Palestinian people
In his opening remarks, Algerian Prime Minister Aymen Benabderrahmane said that the international community must guarantee and provide protection for the Palestinian people and their sanctities in the face of Israeli occupation.
Benabderrahmane affirmed that his country has been mobilizing the necessary support to expand the base of international recognition of the State of Palestine and its right to get full membership in the United Nations in coordination with the brotherly Arab nations.
The Algerian Prime Minister condemned the recent Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the murder of more than 30 Palestinians and the injury of many more. He said: “We condemn these criminal acts and renew our solidarity with the Palestinian people, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative, to which we all affirmed our adherence at the Algiers summit.”
Saudi Crown Prince: Palestinian issue remains the central issue of Arabs and Muslims
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the Palestinian issue remains the central issue of Arabs and Muslims and comes at the top of Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy priorities.
He said his country has been committed to enabling the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate rights and establish an independent and sovereign state of their own on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy, the Arab Peace Initiative and other agreed upon international references.
King of Jordan: Palestinian cause remains our center of attention
King of Jordan, Abdullah II, also affirmed that the Palestinian cause continues to be Jordan’s center of attention, stating that: We cannot abandon our pursuit for the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace, which will not be achieved if the Palestinian people do not get their right to an independent and sovereign state on the pre-1867 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital
The king stressed that peace and stability cannot be achieved with the continuation of settlement building, land appropriation, home demolitions, forced expulsion of Palestinians from their lands, and the destruction of opportunities remaining to achieve the two-state solution; which grants the Palestinian people their legitimate rights. “The alternative would set the entire region on a path to continued conflict,” the king stated.
He further affirmed the centrality of safeguarding the historical and legal status quo of Muslim and Christian holy sites in the holy city of Jerusalem, stressing Jordan’s continued efforts to protect and preserve its Arab, Muslim, and Christian identity, acting on the Hashemite Custodianship over its holy sites.
Aboul Gheit: Arab Peace Initiative is a strategic option to resolve the conflict
The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said that the Arab Peace Initiative is still an Arab strategic choice to resolve the conflict, and at the heart of this option is the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He praised the steadfastness of the Palestinians in the occupied land, saying provocative policies and practices of the extremist Israeli government must be met with a firm response from the international community.
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M.N/T.R
