The leaders of the Arab countries emphasized the centrality of the Palestinian cause, expressing their strong condemnation of the practices and violations that target the Palestinians and undermine efforts to establish their independent state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Arab leaders, during the 32nd regular session of the Arab League Council at the summit level (Jeddah Summit), underlined the importance of strengthening joint Arab action, solidarity and cooperation, protecting the sovereignty of states and the cohesion of their institutions, and making further advancement of Arab action to keep pace with the challenges of the new era, in a way that serves the goals and aspirations for a better future for the Arab peoples and generations to come.
This came in the “Jeddah Declaration” at the conclusion of 32nd Regular Session of the Arab League Council at the Summit Level today (Jeddah Summit). The following is its text: At the generous invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Arab leaders held the 32nd regular session of the Council of the League of Arab States at summit level (Jeddah Summit) on May 19, 2023, under the chairmanship of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Emphasizing the importance of strengthening joint Arab action based on common foundations, values, interests and one destiny, and the necessity of unifying ranks, solidarity and cooperation in maintaining security and stability, protecting the sovereignty of our countries and the cohesion of their institutions, preserving their achievements, striving for further progress concerning Arab action, and taking advantage of the human and natural assets that our region enjoys addressing the challenges of the new era in a way that serves the goals and aspirations of a promising future for our peoples and future generations.
Emanating from our keenness to secure conditions, utilize opportunities, strengthen and dedicate partnerships and consolidate understandings among our countries based on common interests, and increase cooperation to achieve sustainable development goals and implement the ambitious development visions of our countries through a comprehensive renaissance in all fields to keep pace with global developments and create a future that meets the hopes and aspirations of our peoples and achieves the common interest and benefit of our countries, inspired by the past experiences of our countries and aware of the amount of challenges surrounding Arab security and the events that some of our countries went through, as well as the importance of preserving our culture and values, and our firm determination that the citizens of our countries be the target of development and a solid pillar of stability and progress, and security the key to stability, we: 1- We reaffirm the centrality of the Palestinian issue to our countries as one of the key factors of stability in the region. We condemn in the strongest terms the practices and violations targeting Palestinians in their lives, property and existence. We stress the importance of intensifying efforts to achieve a comprehensive and just settlement to the Palestinian issue and find real grounds for achieving peace based on the two-state solution in accordance with international references, mainly the Arab Peace Initiative, relevant international resolutions and the principles of international law, to ensure the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on Palestinian territory on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. We also call upon the international community to fulfill its responsibilities to end the occupation and stop repeated attacks and violations that impede political solutions and undermine international peace efforts, reiterating the need to continue efforts to protect the occupied city of Jerusalem and its holy sites in the face of the occupation’s condemned endeavors to change its demography, identity and historical and legal status quo. We support the historical Hashemite custodianship to protect Islamic and Christian holy sites and the Jordan-run Jerusalem and Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf, which is the sole body authorized to administrate the affairs of Al Haram Al Sharif, as well as supporting the role of Al-Quds Committee and Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency in defending the holy city and the resilience of its people.
2- We are following up with interest on the developments and events taking place in our brotherly Republic of Sudan, expressing our deep concern at the ramifications of the crisis for the security, safety and stability of our countries and peoples. We reaffirm the need to ensure de-escalation, resort to dialogue and unity, alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people, preserve national state institutions, prevent their deterioration and avoid any external interference in Sudan’s affairs that would fuel conflict and threaten regional peace and security. The meetings of Jeddah, which commenced on May 6, 2023, among Sudanese groups, is an important step that can be built upon to end this crisis and restore security and stability in Sudan and protect the capabilities of its people.
Source: Qatar News Agency