CAIRO: The secretary-general of the Arab League and Spain’s foreign minister on Thursday discussed plans for an international peace conference to stop the war in the Gaza Strip.
During a meeting in Cairo, Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Jose Manuel Albares explored the possibility of organizing talks aimed at ending the conflict.
Aboul Gheit’s spokesperson, Jamal Rushdi, said the league’s leader had lauded Spain’s ongoing support for the rights of Palestinians, which he pointed out reflected the country’s commitment to principles, shared human values, and justice.
The rising death toll as a result of Israeli attacks on the Strip were “directly stemming from the tacit approval granted by some Western nations to engage in aggression and violence under the guise of self-defense — an entitlement deemed unacceptable for an occupying force,” Aboul Gheit said.
Albares, visiting Egypt as part of a regional tour, noted the urgent need for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in the Strip, as well as the preservation of unity and geographical connectivity between Gaza and the West Bank under the leadership of the Palestinian Authority.
He said it was imperative that an independent Palestinian state was established as soon as possible, adding that it was his country’s intention to recognize Palestine as a state soon.
Aboul Gheit urged Albares to champion the Palestinian cause in the EU, adding that recognizing Palestine and granting it full membership of the UN would help toward realizing a two-state solution to the crisis.
On the possibility of organizing an international peace conference, he said it was vital that Arab and European officials worked closely with relevant stakeholders to stage such a meeting.
Condemning the continued Israeli onslaught, Albares highlighted the urgent need to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, while he denounced forced displacement, and warned against Israeli operations in Rafah, according to Rushdi.
Speaking to the league’s permanent delegates, the Spanish minister focused on the war in Gaza and the priority of achieving a ceasefire.
In a post on X, Aboul Gheit said: “I value Spain’s positions in support of Palestinian rights, especially since it will recognize the independent state of Palestine very soon.”
Arab League chief, Spanish FM discuss plans for Gaza international peace conference
https://arab.news/zdxan
Arab League chief, Spanish FM discuss plans for Gaza international peace conference
- Officials told Spain set to recognize independent state of Palestine ‘very soon’
- Albares, visiting Egypt as part of a regional tour, noted the urgent need for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in the Strip
Israeli FM urges Jews to move to Israel a week after Sydney attack
- “Today I call on Jews in England, Jews in France, Jews in Australia, Jews in Canada, Jews in Belgium: come to the Land of Israel! Come home!” Saar said
JERUSALEM: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called on Sunday for Jews in Western countries to move to Israel to escape rising antisemitism, one week after 15 were shot dead at a Jewish event in Sydney.
“Jews have the right to live in safety everywhere. But we see and fully understand what is happening, and we have a certain historical experience. Today, Jews are being hunted across the world,” Saar said at a public candle lighting marking the last day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
“Today I call on Jews in England, Jews in France, Jews in Australia, Jews in Canada, Jews in Belgium: come to the Land of Israel! Come home!” Saar said at the ceremony, held with leaders of Jewish communities and organizations worldwide.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israeli leaders have repeatedly denounced a surge in antisemitism in Western countries and accused their governments of failing to curb it.
Australian authorities have said the December 14 attack on a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach was inspired by the ideology of the Islamic State jihadist group.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Western governments to better protect their Jewish citizens.
“I demand that Western governments do what is necessary to fight antisemitism and provide the required safety and security for Jewish communities worldwide,” Netanyahu said in a video address.
In October, Saar accused British authorities of failing to take action to curb a “toxic wave of antisemitism” following an attack outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, in which two people were killed and four wounded.
According to Israel’s 1950 “Law of Return,” any Jewish person in the world is entitled to settle in Israel (a process known in Hebrew as aliyah, or “ascent“) and acquire Israeli citizenship. The law also applies to individuals who have at least one Jewish grandparent.zz
