BAGHDAD, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) – The 34th Arab Summit, held today in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, issued a strong and unified call for an immediate cessation of the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip and the urgent opening of all border crossings to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The summit's final communiqué, known as the "Baghdad Declaration," firmly rejected the displacement of Palestinians from their land and urged all countries to provide political, financial, and legal support for the joint Arab-Islamic plan to rebuild Gaza.
The statement endorsed the call by President Mahmoud Abbas of the State of Palestine to convene an international peace conference and demanded the deployment of United Nations peacekeeping forces in the occupied Palestinian territories until the implementation of a two-state solution.
Out of the 32 points outlined in the declaration, the first 14 focused on the Palestinian cause and the situation in Gaza, which was described as facing "Israeli genocide."
The declaration reaffirmed that the Palestinian issue is central to the Arab world and a core element for regional stability. It emphasized the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to freedom, self-determination, the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, and the right of return and compensation for refugees and the diaspora.
The summit strongly condemned all illegal actions and practices by Israel, the occupying power, accusing it of denying the Palestinian people their basic rights, including life and human dignity. It called for an "immediate cessation of the war on Gaza and all hostilities exacerbating the suffering of innocent civilians."
The summit urged the international community and influential states to shoulder their moral and legal responsibilities to stop the bloodshed and ensure the unobstructed delivery of urgent humanitarian aid across Gaza.
Participants also reiterated support for the joint Arab-Islamic plan adopted on March 4 and March 7, 2025, by the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation respectively, which outlines a path for recovery and reconstruction in Gaza.
The declaration welcomed proposals to establish a dedicated reconstruction fund, highlighting the initiatives of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani and prior commitments made at the 2023 Cairo summit and the 2024 Saudi-hosted Arab-Islamic summit.
Emphasis was also placed on coordinated efforts to open all crossings into Palestinian territories and empower UN agencies, particularly UNRWA, to resume and expand their humanitarian operations with international support.
The summit backed the formation of an open working group in cooperation with the UN to oversee the establishment of a fund to care for Gaza's approximately 40,000 orphans and to provide prosthetics for thousands of injured civilians, especially children. It praised Jordan’s “Restore Hope” initiative aimed at supporting Gaza’s amputees and encouraged more humanitarian efforts.
Leaders firmly reiterated their rejection of any form of forced displacement of Palestinians, calling it a grave violation of international law and humanitarian principles, and branding it a crime against humanity and a form of ethnic cleansing.
They also condemned Israel's use of starvation and scorched-earth policies aimed at coercing Palestinians to abandon their land.
The summit reaffirmed its commitment to a just and comprehensive peaceful resolution to the Palestinian issue. It backed President Abbas's call for a peace conference and the adoption of irreversible steps toward the two-state solution, in line with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant UN resolutions.
This includes the establishment of a fully sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, full UN membership, and restoration of all Palestinian rights, especially the rights to return and self-determination.
The leaders also called for the deployment of international peacekeeping forces in the occupied Palestinian territories until the two-state solution is fully realized, and urged the UN Security Council to take concrete actions with a defined timeline to implement this plan under its mandate to maintain international peace and security.
Finally, the summit called on all Palestinian factions to unite under a comprehensive national project and a unified strategic vision to achieve the aspirations of the Palestinian people for freedom and statehood.
The participants welcomed the May 10, 2024, UN General Assembly resolution, supported by 143 countries, backing Palestine’s bid for full UN membership.
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