Arab League chief warns region will explode if US fails to pressure Israelis
The US must put pressure on Israel to stop the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, or the region will “explode”, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has said.
Israel has indicated its intention to carry out a ground offensive in Rafah, close to the border with Egypt, where more than a million Palestinians are trapped.
Most of them fled their homes elsewhere in Gaza to escape deadly fighting between Israel and Hamas.
“The mentality to displace Palestinians and leave the Gaza Strip empty for Israelis to take over leaves a confrontation for the next 100 years,” Mr Aboul Gheit told the World Governments Summit in Dubai.
“It is vital that the US orders Israel to stop these policies, otherwise the Middle East will explode in an unprecedented way.”
He said Israel had “become a threat to the continuation of the agreements signed with it, especially with Jordan and Egypt”.
The Jordanian and Egyptian governments have both publicly denounced any plans to displace Palestinians on to their territory.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah El Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II emphasised that “any attempt at the expulsion to Jordan or Egypt is rejected” during a meeting in response to the outbreak of the war.
Egypt controls the Rafah border crossing into Gaza and Mr El Sisi said the war must not be resolved “at the expense of others”.
He rejected any suggestion that Gazans could be relocated across the border into Sinai.
Speaking alongside Mr Aboul Gheit at the summit was Jasem Al Budaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Co-operation Council.
He said the region relied on America to communicate with Israel on ways to end the war. “There is no doubt that we rely on the US to use its communications and relations with the Israelis to end this barbaric Israeli war,” Mr Al Budaiwi said.
“The US has great interests with Israel and we hope this picture can be clarified, which can be reflected in the region.”
Israel is not “seeing the future as their anger has blinded them”, Mr Al Budaiwi said.
GCC member states hope “all partners of Israel can use their international responsibility to impose their solutions on Israel”, he said.
Mr Aboul Gheit said the West “has been very unsupportive and unjust towards Palestine”.
Washington is one of Israel’s staunchest allies and the administration of US President Joe Biden has repeatedly voiced its support for Israel’s military operation and refused to support international resolutions calling for a ceasefire.
However, as Israel continues to press on with its war, Washington has said that the civilian death toll is too high and sent US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on repeated trips to the region to push for de-escalation and a long-term resolution to the conflict.
Mr Al Budaiwi said talks were the only way to end the crisis that has killed more than 28,400 Palestinians in about four months.
The war began after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,200 people.
Israel retaliated by launching a full ground and air military offensive on the enclave, which has now entered its fifth month.
Israel has ‘become a threat to the continuation of the agreements signed with it,’ Ahmed Aboul Gheit said