Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said it is no longer a secret to anyone in the world that Israel is waging a war of extermination against the people of Gaza. The choice is either death by murder or starvation, or the land will be left to be plundered by settlements and occupation. He stressed that the world's silence on this inhumane situation is shameful and disgraceful.

In his speech at the 163rd regular session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the level of Arab Foreign Ministers, chaired by Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Aboul Gheit added that this brutal war on civilians continues daily with bombing, killing, home demolitions, siege, starvation, and the prevention of aid entry. This comes after a truce that lasted nearly two months, which witnessed a prisoner exchange, the return of hostages, and the alleviation of the impossible humanitarian situation in Gaza, where Israel resumed its war of extermination on March 18. The number of Palestinian martyrs killed by the occupation since that date is approaching two thousand, in addition to the complete closure of the Strip to aid, food, and health supplies, which has placed the Strip and its residents in the worst and most difficult situation since October 2023.

The Secretary-General explained that there is no longer any doubt that ethnic cleansing is the goal of this war. Unfortunately, the displacement scenario has helped give unprecedented impetus to the most extreme and brutal plans of the Israeli right, to reoccupy parts of the Gaza Strip and impose a total blockade on it, and impose a reality of daily killing on the Palestinians, and pushed the entire world to accept this situation as a normal matter. He referred to the positions of the late Pope Francis, who passed away three days ago. He was a unique voice of humanity and conscience at a time when many chose to turn their backs on these values, and until the last moment and hours before his death, he remained biased towards justice and humanity, calling for a ceasefire and providing assistance to the people of Gaza who are “starving and yearning for a future of peace,” as he said in his final sermon.

He said, “The Arab side has expressed its clear position calling for an immediate end to the ethnic cleansing war, rejecting the unrealistic and illegal displacement scenario, and presenting an alternative proposal at the Cairo Summit last March. This proposal is realistic, practical, and applicable for early recovery, reconstruction, and managing the Gaza Strip in a way that avoids the outbreak of confrontations in the future and paves the way for the implementation of the two-state solution, to which we see no alternative as a path to stability and peace in the region. We all look forward to the support of our friends and friends of peace across the world in order to save this vision and this solution from the plans of the extreme right with expansionist tendencies in Israel. We look forward to the conference that will be held next June at the United Nations under joint Saudi-French presidency, to represent a qualitative shift in dealing with the two-state solution in a way that pushes it from the realm of rhetorical support to practical application and actual implementation.”

Aboul Gheit added that the ambitions of the extremists in the Israeli government do not stop at the borders of Palestine. It has become clear what they seek to impose on the region: a reality of perpetual tension, daily violence, ongoing raids, and buffer zones that encroach on the sovereignty of Arab countries and seize land from their territories under false pretenses.

The Secretary-General concluded his speech by saying that Arab wounds are still open, the most dangerous of which is the bleeding wound of Palestine. However, the member states of this organization are still striving to confront challenges with the logic of collective action and the spirit of Arabism. I believe that the winds of accelerating global changes, which are almost uprooting the established rules and familiar standards, these violent winds push us to cling to this ceiling and take refuge behind that wall. In times like these, when vision is clouded and uncertainty is intense, collective action remains a refuge and a path, and Arabism remains a haven and support, and a source of confidence in the future, God willing.

For his part, Safadi stressed that this peace will not be achieved unless the brotherly Palestinian people obtain their full rights. An independent, sovereign Palestinian state with occupied Jerusalem as its capital must emerge, along the June 4, 1967 lines, living in security alongside Israel, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and international legitimacy resolutions. This is the only way to achieve the just and comprehensive peace we all desire.

He also stressed that Jordan will continue to work with its brothers and the international community to achieve an immediate ceasefire and allow sufficient humanitarian aid into Gaza. He added that Jordan supports the efforts of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the sisterly State of Qatar, and the United States of America to achieve this goal.

Safadi stressed the necessity of implementing the exchange agreement, which was achieved through their efforts, in all its stages. He added that the Kingdom will continue to do everything in its power to halt the illegal Israeli escalation in the occupied West Bank, which is pushing the situation towards an explosion and undermining the two-state solution. He added that they will continue to devote all their capabilities to protecting the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, their identity, and the historical and legal status quo there, within the framework of the historic Hashemite custodianship over them.

He said that extremists in the Israeli government are promoting the idea that they are pursuing their wars to protect Israel's security from a threat that surrounds it from all sides, pointing out that the entire world knows the falsity of these claims. A just peace is the only guarantee for the security of the region and all its peoples, and we all want a just and comprehensive peace that fulfills rights and is accepted by the peoples, as the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 affirmed in a clear and explicit Arab position that refutes all these claims.