Addressing the Arab League extraordinary foreign ministers’ meeting, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ghanim bin Fadhl Al-Bounain urged the international community to step up efforts to halt the recurrent and unjustified Israeli assault on Gaza.
He warned against the pitfall of the Israeli brutal raids on Mideast security and stability, extending heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and the Palestinian leadership and people and wishing the injured quick recovery.
The minister affirmed the centrality of the Palestinian Cause for Arabs and the focus of the interests.
“We are all partners in this cause”, he said, stressing the Arabs’ collective responsibility towards the Palestinian people.
He reiterated Bahrain’s firm stance in support of the Palestinians to regains their inalienable legitimate rights to establish their sovereign and independent state, lauding the role of the Arab League in advocating the Palestinian Cause.
Al-Bouanian deplored the failure of the UN Security Council and pro-Israel countries to undertake the necessary measures to halt the aggression against Gaza.
He also urged the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities as stipulated in the United Nations Charter to protect international security and peace.
Arab League Secretary-General Dr. Nabil Al-Arabi briefed the session on efforts and ongoing contacts he had undertaken to halt the aggression and contain its detrimental repercussions.
The pan-Arab foreign ministers’ council decided a ministerial open-membership committee to visit Gaza and affirm full solidarity with the Palestinian people in the strip and address their urgent humanitarian relief needs.
The Arab Peace Initiative Committee has also been assigned to the reassess the Arab stance and reconsiders the role and raison d’etre of the International Quartet in light of its failure to achieve any progress on the path of comprehensive and just peace.
The council urged all Arab states to dispatch urgent humanitarian relief aid to Gaza- particularly food and medicine to treat the injured. The council has also decided to halt all forms of normalization with Israel.