Forced Dispossession
At the Cairo Summit for Peace, Arab leaders rejected the forced dispossession of the Palestinian people and called for international pressure to halt Israeli aggression in Gaza.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated that force should not be employed to remove Palestinians from their land, stating, “We will never accept relocation, we will remain on our land whatever the challenges.”
Jordan’s King Abdullah also strongly denounced forced dispossession as a ‘war crime’ and criticized the international community’s silence on Israel’s attacks against Gaza, saying, “The message the Arab world is hearing is that Palestinian lives matter less than Israeli ones.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan also criticized the ‘selectivity’ of international actors in condemning atrocities and called for actions to ‘bind’ Israel to humanitarian law, stating, “I call on the international community to press Israel to lift the siege of Gaza.”
The summit, organized by Egypt, brought together representatives of Arab states and multiple European foreign ministers. However, the United States only sent its chargé d’affaires to Cairo.
The UK’s foreign secretary, James Cleverly, stated that his government had asked Israel to preserve civilian lives in Gaza. He added, “Despite the incredibly difficult circumstances, I have called for discipline and professionalism and restraint from the Israeli military.”
France’s foreign minister called for the creation of a humanitarian corridor into Gaza that could lead to a ceasefire.
Israel initiated airstrikes on Gaza after an attack by Hamas on October 7. The conflict has resulted in over 4,000 deaths in Gaza and more than 1,400 Israeli casualties.
