Arab League Emphasizes Importance of Protecting Palestinian People by Activating Joint Arab Defense Mechanisms

Cairo, October 13 (KUNA) -- The Council of the Arab League at the level of Permanent Representatives emphasized the importance of strengthening joint Arab action to protect the Palestinian people by activating mechanisms of joint Arab defense in the face of the Israeli occupying aggression. This was stated in a resolution titled “Call for Providing International Protection for the Palestinian People and Ensuring Respect for the Legal Status of the City of Jerusalem,” issued at the conclusion of the 166th Ordinary Session at the level of Foreign Ministers, held yesterday, Monday, at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, presided over by Tunisia and attended by Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy.

The Arab League Council considered the continuous Israeli aggression and occupation against the Palestinian people, their land, and occupied Arab territories as a threat to Arab national security and a undermining of international peace and security. It stressed the necessity of activating the Treaty of Joint Defense and Economic Cooperation among Arab States in accordance with the principles of international law and the UN Charter.

It called on the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities in maintaining international peace and security, to issue a resolution ensuring international protection for the Palestinian people, and to enforce its relevant resolutions, including Resolutions 605 (1987) and 904 (1994) regarding the application of the Fourth Geneva Convention to the occupied Palestinian territories, and Resolution 2334 (2016) concerning Israeli settlement. It also urged the Security Council to adopt a resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to compel the Israeli occupation to comply with its relevant resolutions on the Palestinian issue, halt its aggression against the Palestinian people, and implement the orders and advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice.

The Arab League Council stressed the importance of continuing Arab action at both bilateral and multilateral levels, as appropriate, to provide an effective international protection system for the Palestinian people by convening an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly under the title “Uniting for Peace.” It emphasized the necessity for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to intervene immediately to protect the Palestinian people from Israeli crimes and aggression, as well as settler practices, alongside the necessity to implement Arab Summit resolutions regarding the boycott of companies operating in Israeli settlements established in the occupied Palestinian territories, and to list Israeli settlement organizations and entities on Arab national terrorism lists.

The Council strongly condemned the escalating attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season in the West Bank, including the destruction of trees, theft of crops, and blocking access to agricultural lands, considering these acts violations of the Palestinian people’s rights to their land and natural resources and a threat to the foundations of their resilience.

It reiterated its rejection and condemnation of any unilateral decision aimed at changing the legal status of the holy city of Jerusalem, including the opening of offices or diplomatic missions therein, affirming that such steps constitute a serious violation of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, including Resolutions 476 and 478 (1980), the advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice, and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

It stated that these measures constitute an assault on the rights of the Palestinian people and an affront to the sentiments of the Arab, Islamic, and Christian nations, affirming their nullity and non-binding nature due to the dangerous precedents they set, which encourage violations of international law and legitimacy, undermine efforts to achieve peace, and threaten international peace and security.

In a related development, the Council of the Arab League condemned Colombia’s intention to open an embassy in Jerusalem during its meeting, calling for the recall of Colombian ambassadors to Arab countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to protest this move and its repercussions on bilateral relations. It stressed the necessity for member states to take all practical measures at the political, diplomatic, and economic levels to counter Colombia’s decision, or that of any other country, to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the occupied Israeli entity, to relocate their embassies there, or to take actions that undermine the city’s legal status, in implementation of successive Arab summit and ministerial council resolutions. The Council also condemned Israeli occupation measures against the British Consulate General in occupied Jerusalem, affirming that East Jerusalem is occupied Palestinian territory over which Israel has no sovereignty. It praised the British position on the legal status of Jerusalem, its support for the two-state solution, and its imposition of sanctions on Israeli settlements, in line with international law and resolutions of international legitimacy. The Council reiterated its affirmation of the right of Palestinian refugees to return in accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 of 1948, and emphasized the importance of the role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the occupied Palestinian territories, including al-Quds al-Sharif. (End) M.M. / F.L.A.