The Arab League foreign ministers have condemned the violence in the Middle East – on both sides. They were surprising words because not many Arab countries are friendly to Israel. But no one should want a wildfire.
No further escalation: That was the conclusion of the special meeting of the Arab League foreign ministers. The violence in Gaza must end as quickly as possible, said the joint final statement. And – perhaps somewhat surprisingly – people called on both sides, and not just Israel, to cease their arms.
“We condemn the killing of civilians on both sides. Bystanders must be protected, as human values and international law demand. All captured and abducted civilians must be released,” read Arab League Deputy Secretary-General Hossam Zaki the closing statement of the special meeting.
No country should be interested in wildfire
While expected anti-Israel statements came from some Arab states shortly after Hamas began the terror, hardly any political leader in the Arab world is likely to have an interest in a conflagration in the region.
Israel’s neighboring countries, Lebanon and Syria, are themselves deep in economic and political crises. And Egypt, which shares a border with the Gaza Strip, fears that in the event of an Israeli ground invasion, many of the Gaza Strip’s approximately 2.3 million residents could try to flee to Egypt.
Demand for a peace that is fair for all sides
The final declaration therefore primarily addressed words of warning to all actors involved and at the same time condemned Hamas – at least indirectly. “The peace process must be revived! Negotiations between the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization), the only legitimate representative of the Palestinians, and Israel must be resumed to achieve a stable peace,” Zaki said at the final press conference.
Only a comprehensive peace that is fair for all sides can prevent the conflict from deepening and terror from spreading, said Zaki.
Different Relations and positions with Israel
The special meeting of the Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo had been anticipated with a certain amount of excitement. The states of the Arab world have no longer had a uniform position towards Israel for a long time. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, for example, have now concluded peace agreements with Israel, primarily for economic reasons.
While Qatar and Oman at least recognized the state of Israel a few years ago, Israel is still met with hostility and rejection from Syria, Yemen and Iraq – and not just from the population.
But even states that are politically friendly to Israel have not clearly condemned Hamas’ terror in the past. The clear position of the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Abou El-Gheit, in his speech was all the more surprising. “I categorically reject any violence against civilians. Killing and terrorizing peaceful people is completely unacceptable, even as a means to achieve a goal such as independence,” El-Gheit said.
There was a clear demand for a peaceful solution to the conflict – but that seems more distant than ever at the moment.