Occupation prevents Arab League Secretary-General from visiting West Bank and meeting Abbas

The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States announced today, Wednesday, that the Israeli occupation authorities refused to grant the necessary permits to the League's Secretary-General, Nabil Fahmy, to make his first visit to the occupied Palestinian territories. The tour was scheduled to include an official meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah in the West Bank.

Official sources in the Arab League reported that the Palestinian authorities informed the General Secretariat of the Israeli ban decision, which prevented the Arab delegation from reaching its scheduled destination today, Wednesday. This step comes amid a continuous Israeli escalation aimed at isolating the Palestinian leadership from its Arab and international depth.

In a press statement, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General clarified that Nabil Fahmy had chosen the Palestinian territories as his first foreign destination since assuming his position at the beginning of this month. This symbolic choice reflects the Arab League's insistence on placing the Palestinian issue at the forefront of the Arab diplomatic agenda during the upcoming period.

The statement stressed that the purpose of the visit was to deliver a direct message of support for the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of repressive practices. Fahmy was also supposed to discuss with President Abbas ways for Arab action to confront the current challenges facing the Palestinian national project and the two-state solution.

The spokesperson described the conditions experienced by Palestinians in the West Bank as amounting to a comprehensive siege within cities and villages. He pointed out that settlement expansion is encircling Palestinian communities from all sides, preventing their geographical connection and stifling opportunities for a dignified life for the indigenous population.

Sources in the League also noted that settlers are engaging in acts of violence and intimidation under the direct protection of the Israeli occupation army. They confirmed that these practices are carried out with political encouragement from the Israeli government, which increases the suffering of civilians who face daily attacks on their property and lives.

The Arab League called on the international community to hold Israel accountable for its continuous violations of international and humanitarian law. It affirmed that defending a just peace requires effective steps to expose the occupation's practices and strengthen the steadfastness of Palestinians against the increasingly brutal and uncontrolled machine of oppression recently.

It is worth noting that Nabil Fahmy officially assumed his duties as Secretary-General of the League of Arab States on July 1st, succeeding Ahmed Aboul Gheit. His nomination was unanimously approved by Arab foreign ministers last March, based on an Egyptian proposal to enhance the Arab role in thorny regional issues.

Fahmy is considered one of the most prominent diplomatic figures in the region, having served as Egypt's foreign minister during a critical transitional period between 2013 and 2014. He possesses extensive experience in managing international files, which made his appointment a source of hope for activating joint Arab action mechanisms towards the Palestinian issue.

The Israeli ban decision coincided with international and local human rights reports warning of an unprecedented pace of settlement in the West Bank. These reports confirm that the occupation authorities are racing against time to impose a new reality on the ground that undermines any future opportunity for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The visit aimed to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and to affirm that the Palestinian issue will remain at the top of the Arab world's priorities.