The League of Arab States is our Regional Patron for “Security and Development” | By Dr. Talal Abu Ghazaleh

1.      Much has been said about the declared, or hidden, goals behind the visit of the US President to the region in mid-July. Zionist propaganda outlets promoted tendentious ideas, some of which are not new but have been repeated for years. By that, I mean the repeated talk about the integration of Israel into the region and the establishment of alliances under different names between Arab countries and Israel, specifically against Iran, as well as the demonization of Iran and the claims that it is the one who threatens the security and peace of the region. The aim is to remove any suspicion of the Zionist threat and Israel’s practices against Palestine and other Arab countries, its occupation of the Arab and Palestinian lands for more than seven decades, the siege of Gaza, the colonization of Arab lands, the continuous Zionist violation of international law, aggression, wars, encroachment on Islamic and Christian sanctifies, and the oppression and killing of the Palestinian people.

2.      It is clear and expected that Israel has been seeking for years to bury the Palestinian cause by flooding the region with various projects, and by portraying itself as the savior, not the aggressor. Unfortunately, these Zionist ideas have found support from the United States and the European Union, who exercise extortionary pressures on some Arab countries to accept it.

3.      Now that the Jeddah Summit has finished its work, all doubts have dissipated and the facts have emerged: there are no alliances against any of the countries in the region, and the Palestinian cause has not been eliminated, as the Arab leaders affirmed that it remains the central focus and that the international inability to solve this issue over the decades is responsible for the instability, violence, extremism, loss of security, waste of resources, political confusion and even backwardness in the region.

4.      What His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein said in Jeddah; that our region will not witness security, peace, or stability without a comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian issue, and without the Palestinian people obtaining their legitimate national rights, was nothing but a repetition of what His Majesty affirmed time and time again at every international platform since his accession to the throne more than two decades ago.

5.      This is also what was confirmed by the Arab leaders, without exception, whether they participated in the Jeddah Summit or not, and is what they have constantly emphasized on every occasion. On this occasion, I and particularly proud of all the leaders of our nations for their unified stance towards our common Arab issues.

6.      It was pointed out that the Joint Defence and Economic Co-operation Treaty between the members of the League of Arab States and its military annex, the details of which are explained in the Charter of the League of Arab States, where the second article states that the member states consider every armed attack against any or more of them an attack against them all, and therefore, pursuant to the right of joint defense – individual and collective, it is obligated to take the initiative to aid the state or countries that have been attacked.

7.      So all the plans that sought to marginalize the Palestinian cause failed in Jeddah, just as the plans to transform the Zionist entity from a trespassing entity to a savior party have also failed.

8.      However, although the Jeddah Summit took place in difficult Arab and international circumstances, and despite the American adoption of the Zionist position in all aspects, which constituted a clear prejudice against the Palestinians, as was evident through the program of the visit of the American president; despite all this, the damage was not as major as was previously feared or as dangerous as anticipated.

9.      Some lessons can be learned, the most important of which is what the US President said that his country will not reduce its influence in the region and that it will not allow China, Russia, and Iran to fill the void in our Arab region.

10.  This is a dangerous and unfair insinuation. Why should there be a void in the region? Why are the vast lands of the Arab world, the bridge that mediates three continents, the land that embraces the cradle of the greatest civilizations, the birthplace of religions, wealth, and enormous potential, with its great rich history and ancient peoples; why are these lands empty, waiting for someone to fill this void? Shouldn’t the League of Arab States, which was established more than eight decades ago and its Arab action, be the one to fill the void?

11.  In this context, I call on the League of Arab States to take charge again, assume its responsibilities, and present to the world a renewed model of a unified Arab approach and a firm Arab voice that represents, as it did, and as it should, the aspirations of this nation, adopt its issues, defend its rights, and restore the Palestinian cause to its previous position as an Arab League cause.

12.  I am aware of the difficulties that the League of Arab States has faced and continues to face; difficulties arising from Arab differences, but this challenge represents an opportunity to overcome them.

13.  The time has come, ahead of the upcoming Arab summit, to reconsider all the negative aspects of the past, the fragmentation, the differences, the scattering of efforts whose dangerous effects we are experiencing, and most importantly the marginalization of the role of the League of Arab States.

14.  The sanctions imposed on Syria must be lifted under the unjust and unilateral Caesar Act, which affects the Arab people, and extends to depriving Lebanon of its gas and oil by virtue of its proximity to Syria. What is the legal justification for imposing this siege on Syria, exploiting its oil wealth, perpetuating the occupation of important parts of its lands, and supporting terrorist and separatist gangs at the expense of its sovereignty and the dignity of its people?

15.  And the beloved Libyan people who suffer with no fault of their own, while if they were left alone under an Arab initiative, they would handle their own affairs properly, and I do not say their differences, because there is no dispute there that constitutes anything more than a misunderstanding.

16.  Dear Yemen, is it not more useful for the League of Arab States to lead a Yemeni-Yemeni reconciliation project? “Sana’a must be reached, no matter the hardship,” following the words of the Saudi crown prince, who called for a “Yemeni-Yemeni political solution.”

17.  Why is the League of Arab States not the actual representative of all the issues of the member states, as it was originally intended to be, and the defender of the rights of its members representing 22 countries in international forums instead of each country struggling alone to defend its rights, and forced to resort to the major powers to protect its interests, at unreasonable political and financial costs?

18.  Instead of the great powers singling out the Arab countries one by one, why not conduct a dialogue between the League of Arab States – on behalf of its members – and the major countries – the United States, Russia, China, the European Union, and others – on all issues that concern the Arab countries collectively or individually.

19.  It is customary to invite the leaders of international organizations (the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, and others) to attend the protocol celebrations of the Arab summits. It is more appropriate to invite representatives of major countries in addition to international and regional organizations for such meetings to discuss substantive issues and not for celebrations.

20.  Unfortunately, Arab issues have gotten much worse that they cannot be ignored. It is time for a drastic and comprehensive review. It is time to revive the role of the League of Arab States.