Arab League: Israel’s displacement of the Palestinian people is an attack on Arab national security

CAIRO: The Council of the Arab League has affirmed that Israel's commission of the crime of forcible displacement of the Palestinian people constitutes an attack on Arab national security. The Council warned this could lead to the collapse of peace prospects in the Middle East, exacerbating and widening conflicts in the region. In an extraordinary session of permanent representatives on Thursday, the Council expressed concern over the unprecedented dire conditions in Rafah, the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt, citing Israel's plans and intentions to forcibly displace approximately one and a half million Palestinian citizens there outside Palestinian territory. The Arab League Council denounced the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of Lebanon. The aggression includes killings of civilians and the destruction of homes and infrastructure, in violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both states, as well as of internation al law. The Arab League called on the United Nations Security Council to issue a binding resolution to halt the Israeli aggression and the forced displacement of the Palestinian people. It called for ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid to the entire Gaza Strip, implementing the provisional measures outlined by the International Court of Justice, and demanding full compliance with all relevant Security Council resolutions on the Palestinian issue, including Resolutions 2721 and 2720. The Council welcomed the efforts of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria in its capacity as an Arab non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, for calling emergency open sessions to stop the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, including forced displacement. Expressing support for Egypt's actions in response to the consequences of Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, the Council commended the efforts taken by Egypt to ensure the immediate and sustainable delivery of aid to the besieged enclave. It affirmed backing Egypt's steps to defend its national security, an integral part of Arab national security. Emphasizing that security and peace in the region can only be achieved by ending the Israeli colonial occupation of Palestinian land, the Council called on the international community to take irreversible steps to realize the independence of the State of Palestine. The Council advocated for the implementation of a political solution based on international legitimacy resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative, and granting the Palestinian people their inalienable rights, including the right to self-determination, independence, and the return of refugees. Additionally, the Council stressed the necessity of supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), labeling it an international responsibility that must be fulfilled. It rejected deliberate Israeli campaigns aimed at undermining the Agency's role, urging all countries that decided to freeze their funding to the ag ency to reconsider their decision. The Council warned that halting the Agency's operations in the Gaza Strip would deprive over two million Palestinians of essential life-sustaining services. Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA