Arab ministers call for end to Gaza genocide, recognition of Palestine at Amman conference
Members of the ministerial committee of the Joint Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit met in the Jordanian capital a day after Israel blocked their entry to the occupied West Bank
Members of the ministerial committee of the Joint Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit met in the Jordanian capital a day after Israel blocked their entry to the occupied West Bank
The conference in Amman, which was attended by Jordanian King Abdullah II, focused on the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and efforts to support an end to Israel's brutal assault and ongoing aid blockade.
The ministerial committee included Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.
The Saudi Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of European countries recognizing the State of Palestine. Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that European positions on Israel are not sufficient, stressing that the genocidal war must stop.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stressed the importance of the international community taking practical steps towards a two-state solution.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty said that Arab countries want peace, but that Israel is not a true partner for peace. He added that Egypt and Jordan will continue to forcefully confront all plans to displace Palestinians from their land.
The top diplomats also held a video conference meeting with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, his deputy, Hussein al-Sheikh, and Mohammad Mustafa, the prime minister and minister of foreign affairs.
A day earlier, Israel blocked a scheduled visit by a delegation of Arab foreign ministers from the ministerial committee to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, where they intended to discuss support for the establishment of a Palestinian state with Abbas.
"Israel's refusal of the committee's visit to the West Bank embodies and confirms its extremism and refusal of any serious attempts for (a) peaceful pathway … It strengthens our will to double our diplomatic efforts within the international community to face this arrogance," the Saudi foreign minister said during a joint press conference at the summit on Sunday.
The Israeli army controls all borders and entry points to the occupied West Bank, including from neighboring Jordan, making entry to and exit from the Palestinian territories contingent on Israeli authorities.
Ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE had been expected to enter the occupied West Bank for the meeting, which an Israeli official described as “provocative.”
"Such a state would undoubtedly become a terrorist state in the heart of the land of Israel," the official said. "Israel will not cooperate with such moves aimed at harming it and its security."
Jordanian Foreign Minister Safadi said on Sunday that the prevention of the joint delegation's visit to the West Bank is evidence of the Israeli government's arrogance and disregard for international law. He said, "The extremist Israeli government, which kills children, is the one that prevented the delegation from visiting Ramallah."
Israel conquered the West Bank in 1967 and has slowly stolen more and more Palestinian land to establish Jewish settlements, which are illegal under international law.
Sunday's summit in Amman precedes an international conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, scheduled for 17-20 June in New York. Delegates are expected to discuss the issue of Palestinian statehood.
Israel has come under increasing pressure from the UN and European countries to agree to allow for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that recognizing a Palestinian state was not only a "moral duty but a political necessity."
On 29 May, Israel's government approved 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank as part of its ongoing effort to expropriate, colonize, and annex Palestinian lands.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated, “We will establish 22 new settlements in the West Bank as a strategic step to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.”
Katz added that the settlement decision “strengthens our hold on Judea and Samaria,” using the biblical term for the occupied West Bank.