Arab League is committed to freeze UN membership of Israel

...and get UNGA resolution demanding Israel end its unlawful presence in Palestine.

Israel keeps carrying out its genocide of Palestinians in the West Bank and in Gaza, with latest massacre in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, last night, as reported by the Western mainstream media (MSM) and alternative media. Looking at visual evidence (huge craters and weapon fragments), experts cited by Al Mayadeen suggest that the Israel “Defense” Forces (IDF) used 2,000-pound (~900 kg) US bombs, most likely MK 84, killing at least 40 people and injuring 65 others. I will not focus more on this, as there is plenty of coverage on Western MSM and alternative news outlets. Instead, I will focus on other interesting news not covered by most of the MSM.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at the Arab League HQ - from Daily Sabah.

Following up on my latest article yesterday, the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Arab League took place earlier today in Cairo (Egypt).

Al Mayadeen covered the event in this article, but I will provide a summary here.

Osama Hamdan, member of Hamas' Political Bureau, delivered a video message, urging Arab officials to “assume their responsibilities” and to take “immediate and direct action” to pressure Israel and its supporters to end the genocide in Gaza and protect al-Quds (Jerusalem) and its holy sites, stating the following:

We remind their excellencies, the Arab foreign ministers, and the honorable Secretary-General of the Arab League of the [final statement] of the joint summit between the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held last November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which stressed the need for immediate action to halt the (Israeli) aggression, provide relief to the Palestinian people, and lift the blockade (on the Gaza Strip).

Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, stated that the league is “working to support the Palestinian [cause], and we adopt all positions in support of Palestinians' rights” and rejected “the presence of (Israeli) occupation forces on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip”, noting that Egypt's position on Israel's occupation of the Philadelphi Corridor “is clearly and strongly supported by Arab states”.

Josep Borrell, incumbent High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Vice President of the European Commission, was also present and in his speech he highlighted the division within the European Union. By the way, we haven’t seen any sanctions on any Israeli Minister, despite his (empty) promises!

Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, who took part to the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Arab League after a 13-year absence, stated the following:

The Muslim world will do whatever it takes to preserve the Islamic identity of Haram al-Sharif.

…referring to the al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, in occupied al-Quds. The Daily Sabah, a Turkish newspaper, reported more snippets of his speech:

Those continuing their support of Netanyahu are accomplices in the ongoing genocide. (Like Netanyahu), they will be held accountable for it.

We will continue our joint action to put pressure on the international community to reject Israel's actions.

We not only share the same faith; we are also connected by our history, geography and bonds of friendship that challenge time. We must work together for regional security and stability.

We increase our cooperation in trade, energy and investments and we have serious potential from tourism to economy, to defense to counterterrorism.

However, it must be said that, as soon as Fidan started speaking, the Syrian delegation left the meeting room and returned only when he finished, as reported by The New Arab. So, it looks like Turkey still needs to work on mending its diplomatic relationship with Syria.

In a separate meeting of the Arab Ministerial Committee on countering Israel's illegal policies in occupied al-Quds, its chair, Ayman Safadi, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, reviewed Israel's violations not only at Islamic holy site, but also at the Christian ones… incredible that Christians have to rely on the Arab League for the protection of their holy sites!

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The Arab League - from Al Mayadeen.

All these statements may sound empty words, but they are not. In fact, earlier this evening, Al Mayadeen reported in another article about some important decisions taken by the Arab League:

• it has tasked the Arab Group in New York to initiate the appropriate steps to freeze Israel's participation in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA),

• it has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to accept Palestine's full UN membership (unlikely due to veto powers of the Outlaw US Empire and its vassal states, UK and France),

• it has urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to expedite its ruling on the case filed by South Africa against Israel for violation of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, considering also that Israel has not complied with previous ICJ rulings and temporary measures, issued on 26/01/2024, 28/03/2024 and 24/05/2024,

• it has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to move forward with issuing arrest warrants for Israeli leaders,

• it has reaffirmed the State of Palestine's full jurisdiction over its territory, highlighting the importance of restoring Palestinian national unity under the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,

• it has firmly rejected Israel's post-aggression plans for Gaza and opposed any control over parts of the Gaza Strip, calling for Israel's full withdrawal from Gaza, including the Philadelphi Corridor and the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, stressing that the Palestinian-Egyptian borders are sovereign and must not be violated,

• it has called on its members to financially support Palestine and activate a transparent Arab financial safety net to counter Israel's punitive economic and financial measures against the Palestinian authorities, including withholding and pirating tax funds meant for Palestinians by Israeli authorities.

In particular I would like to highlight the first point, as it has a precedent: in 1974 apartheid South Africa’s participation to UNGA was frozen, as reported here. I am pretty sure that, like in 1974 (see this New York Times article), the Outlaw US Empire and its vassal states will vote against the UNGA resolution.

This Reuters article has also reported that the UNGA is preparing to vote next week on a Palestinian draft resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from the Occupied Palestinian Territory within six months. The draft aims to respond to an advisory opinion of the ICJ, which declares the Israeli occupation illegal. Although the Court emphasised that the withdrawal should take place as quickly as possible, the draft resolution sets a deadline of six months. The Arab countries and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation have called for the vote to be held on 18 September. Of course, the Israeli ambassador called for rejection of the resolution and condemnation of Hamas, demanding the release of the hostages.

So, as you can see, it is not just empty words. Arab and Muslim countries are quite serious in their endeavours to stop the Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity!

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