Cairo: Assistant Secretary General of the Arab League Hussam Zaki announced late Sunday that the emergency Arab Summit, scheduled on February 27, might possibly be postponed due to logistic reasons and prior commitments of several Arab leaders.
According to Kuwait News Agency, Zaki affirmed that the postponement was purely for logistical reasons, emphasizing that the summit was designed to establish a unified stance on the Palestinian cause, especially given the US administration and Israeli occupation threats to forcibly displace Palestinians from their lands.
He highlighted that the Egyptian proposal to rebuild the Gaza Strip through the efforts of the Palestinian people was the main focus of the proposed emergency summit, with no intention to displace Palestinians.
Regarding the five-party Arab summit in Riyadh, which includes Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, Zaki noted that ongoing coordination has been occurring since the war on Gaza began, through meetings at the foreign ministers’ level and other related agencies.
He stated that the Arab League was not invited to attend any meetings of the five-party summit but was informed about significant developments. Zaki also mentioned that Palestine might be invited to the five-party summit to establish a general Arab stance on the issue.
On the Arab stance concerning US President Donald Trump’s plans for the Gaza Strip, he affirmed that when official talks with the US commence, Arab countries would base such discussions on respecting the will and desires of the Palestinian people.
Zaki questioned whether the US was bluffing about clearing Gaza of Palestinians or if it was a tactic to reopen negotiations on the future of the Strip. He stated that Palestinians in Gaza refused any attempts to forcibly evict them and advocated for empowering Palestinians to govern themselves until a comprehensive peace plan is established.
He further explained that the financial restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation made it almost impossible to maintain basic security and order in Palestine. Zaki criticized the Israeli occupation for restricting humanitarian aid to Gaza, labeling it as inhumane and illegal.
Moreover, he condemned the occupation for delaying the implementation of the Gaza Strip ceasefire deal, expressing doubts about the Israeli occupation’s eagerness to advance, which could halt the deal and potentially reignite violence against Gazans.