Arab League FMs to discuss Gaza situation during Cairo meeting

The 162nd session of the Arab League Council at the level of foreign ministers is set to begin Tuesday at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Arab League, under the chairmanship of Yemen and with the attendance of several foreign officials. The council's agenda will feature discussions on ways to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against Gaza and the West Bank, including the war crimes committed by the occupation forces against the Palestinian people over the past 11 months, which have resulted in the death, injury, or disappearance of more than 145,000 Palestinian civilians. The council will also consider political, diplomatic, and legal measures to halt Israel's aggressive policies aimed at displacing the Palestinian people from their land, which constitutes a severe violation of international humanitarian law and poses a threat to Arab national security. The council is expected to call on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to swiftly issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, reite rate its continued support for Palestine in obtaining full membership in the United Nations, and focus on monitoring political developments and reviving the Arab Peace Initiative amid persistent Israeli violations in occupied Jerusalem. The meeting will also tackle issues such as Arab water security, the theft of water resources by Israel, the situation in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, developments in several Arab countries--including Libya, Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia--solidarity with Lebanon, the security of navigation and energy supplies in the Arabian Gulf region, and the Ethiopian dam crisis. Additionally, discussions will explore the risks posed by Israel's armament on Arab national security and international peace, and the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free and weapons of mass destruction-free zone in the Middle East. The ministers will also consider social issues and human rights, alongside economic matters, national security maintenance, and combating terrorism. The council is set to revie w reports from its permanent committees related to administrative, financial, legal affairs, and human rights. The meeting will be attended by several international figures, including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, UN Under-Secretary-General and United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, and UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs and Reconstruction in Gaza Sigrid Kaag. Source: Kuwait News Agency