Arab League: Peace with Israel only if Palestinian state is established
Arab League Secretary-General says Arab-Israeli peace relations can only be achieved when Palestinian people gain freedom and independence.
The head of the Arab League said on Saturday that comprehensive and normal Arab-Israeli peace relations can only be achieved when the Palestinian people gain their freedom and independence.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said in a statement quoted by the Xinhua news agency that this can be reached through the "land for peace" principle and the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders with eastern Jerusalem as its capital.
Aboul-Gheit's remarks follow the United Arab Emirates’ agreement with Israel that includes a full normalization of relations.
The Arab League chief said that the Palestinian cause is a matter of consensus among all Arab states and that ending the “Israeli occupation” is a central goal of all Arab countries "without exception."
"A true, lasting, just and comprehensive peace with all its elements remains a strategic option for Arab countries," Aboul-Gheit added.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has denounced the Israel-UAE agreement, with PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas describing it as "a stab in the Palestinians' back".
Chief PA negotiator Saeb Erekat warned that the Israel-UAE agreement would kill the two-state solution, strengthen "extremists" and undermine the "possibility of peace".
Aboul-Gheit's remarks follow comments by Prince Turki al-Faisal, a senior member of the Saudi royal family, who said on Friday that Saudi Arabia’s price for normalizing relations with Israel is the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The head of the Arab League said on Saturday that comprehensive and normal Arab-Israeli peace relations can only be achieved when the Palestinian people gain their freedom and independence.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said in a statement quoted by the Xinhua news agency that this can be reached through the "land for peace" principle and the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders with eastern Jerusalem as its capital.
Aboul-Gheit's remarks follow the United Arab Emirates’ agreement with Israel that includes a full normalization of relations.
The Arab League chief said that the Palestinian cause is a matter of consensus among all Arab states and that ending the “Israeli occupation” is a central goal of all Arab countries "without exception."
"A true, lasting, just and comprehensive peace with all its elements remains a strategic option for Arab countries," Aboul-Gheit added.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has denounced the Israel-UAE agreement, with PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas describing it as "a stab in the Palestinians' back".
Chief PA negotiator Saeb Erekat warned that the Israel-UAE agreement would kill the two-state solution, strengthen "extremists" and undermine the "possibility of peace".
Aboul-Gheit's remarks follow comments by Prince Turki al-Faisal, a senior member of the Saudi royal family, who said on Friday that Saudi Arabia’s price for normalizing relations with Israel is the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
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