Arab League stress on need to protect Palestinians

CAIRO: The Arab League stressed on Wednesday the necessity of bringing the war in the Gaza Strip to a halt as soon as possible so that it does not escalate further or get out of control. In a statement, the League said that this came during two separate meetings the League’s Secretary General Ahmad Abul-Gheit had with Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Lithuania’s Foreign Affairs Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis during their visit to Cairo.

During the meetings, Abul-Gheit explained that taking revenge from the residents of Gaza and following the collective punishment method is against international law and won’t achieve peace. He expressed a strong rejection of killing civilians, stressing the need to provide protection for Palestinians and address the root causes that led to this unfortunate and dangerous situation.

Meanwhile, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jassem Al-Budaiwi on Wednesday underlined the importance of continuing to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians suffering in the recent escalation of Gaza. This came during a meeting between Al-Budaiwi and the European Union Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, on the sidelines of the 27th session of the GCC-EU Joint Ministerial Council in Muscat, the General Secretariat said in a statement.

Al-Budaiwi said that both sides stressed that the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territories would lead to more tragic humanitarian conditions, so it must come to an end immediately. He also added that they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the GCC and Europe in various fields of common interest through the joint action plan approved by both sides. – KUNA