Israel criticizes Arab League summit's final statement on Palestine

ISTANBUL

Israel criticized the final statement of an emergency Arab League summit in Egypt on developments in Palestine, claiming it “fails to address the realities of the situation” following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas.

Earlier Tuesday, the final statement of the emergency Arab summit in Cairo rejected the displacement of Palestinians “under any name or circumstance” and announced the formation of an Arab legal committee to study the possibility of considering such actions as part of a genocide.

The statement also condemned Israel's use of siege tactics and starvation of civilians to achieve political objectives, as well as the decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to halt humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said on X that “the statement issued at the Emergency Summit…fails to address the realities of the situation following October 7th, 2023, remaining rooted in outdated perspectives.”

Marmorstein criticized the absence of any mention of the Oct. 7 attacks and the lack of condemnation of Hamas, “despite the threat it poses to Israel and the region.”

He also criticized the statement's reliance on the Palestinian Authority and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), continuing Israel’s allegations of corruption and support for terrorism against these entities.

“For 77 years, Arab states have used Palestinians as pawns against Israel, condemning them to eternal ‘refugee’ status,” he said.

Marmorstein continued his accusations by revisiting and supporting US President Donald Trump’s plan to displace Gaza’s Palestinians and seize control of the area.

“Now, with President Trump's idea, there is an opportunity for the Gazans to have free choice based on their free will. This should be encouraged! Instead, Arab states have rejected this opportunity, without giving it a fair chance, and continue to level baseless accusations against Israel,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly called to “take over” Gaza and resettle its population to develop it into a tourist destination. His plan was rejected by the Arab world and many other nations, who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing.

Despite Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Marmorstein alleged that Hamas's rule in the enclave “prevents any chance of security for Israel and its neighbors. Therefore, for the sake of peace and stability, Hamas can't be left in power.”

He concluded by saying that “Israel urges responsible regional states to break free from past constraints and collaborate to create a future of stability and security in the region.”

Nearly 48,400 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 111,000 injured in a brutal Israeli war on Gaza since October 2023. The onslaught, which left the enclave in ruins, was paused under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold on Jan. 19 this year.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.