The final communiqué of the extraordinary Arab Summit, held in Cairo on Tuesday, March 4, adopted Egypt's comprehensive plan for early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza. The plan, developed in coordination with Palestine and Arab states and based on studies by the World Bank and the United Nations Development Fund, aims to mobilise financial, material, and political support for implementation. The communiqué urged the international community and financial institutions to expedite assistance, stressing that these efforts must align with a political process leading to a just and lasting solution that fulfils the Palestinian people's legitimate aspirations for statehood and peaceful coexistence. Two-state solution The summit reaffirmed that the two-state solution is the only path to a just and comprehensive peace, ensuring the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state along the pre-June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. No Displacement Arab leaders categorically rejected any form of displacement of the Palestinian people, whether within or beyond their land, under any pretext, deeming such actions a grave violation of international law, a crime against humanity, and an act of ethnic cleansing. The communiqué also condemned policies of starvation and called for Israel, as the occupying power, to comply with relevant international resolutions prohibiting demographic alterations in Palestinian territories. The summit strongly denounced the Israeli government's recent decision to block humanitarian aid to Gaza and close relief access points, asserting that such actions constitute violations of the ceasefire agreement, international law, and the Fourth Geneva Convention. It rejected the use of blockade and civilian starvation as political leverage. Transitional administration The communiqué welcomed the Palestinian decision to establish a transitional administration for Gaza under the Palestinian government's umbrella. This initiative, comprising competent professionals from Gaza, aims to facilitate the Palestinian Authority's return to the enclave, reinforcing the unity of Palestinian territories occupied in 1967. The summit also commended the joint Egyptian-Jordanian proposal to train Palestinian police forces, emphasising that security must be managed solely by legitimate Palestinian institutions, with full international support. UN peacekeeping The summit called on the UN Security Council to deploy international peacekeeping forces to safeguard both Palestinians and Israelis in Gaza and the West Bank, in line with efforts to advance a political solution for Palestinian statehood. The communiqué underscored the irreplaceable role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in fulfilling its UN-mandated responsibilities across its five operational areas, particularly in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. It condemned Israeli legislation passed in October 2024 to ban UNRWA, denouncing the move as a blatant disregard for the UN and the international community. Funding Additionally, the summit called for the establishment, in cooperation with the UN, of an international fund to support Gaza's war orphans—estimated at 40,000 children—and to provide aid, including prosthetic limbs, for thousands of injured individuals, particularly children who have lost limbs. It encouraged states and organisations to launch similar initiatives, citing Jordan's 'Restoring Hope' programme for Gaza's amputees as an example. World countries were urged to adhere to the advisory opinions and rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding Israeli violations and to pursue accountability for all grave crimes committed against the Palestinian people through international and national legal mechanisms. The communiqué reaffirmed that these crimes do not lapse with time and held Israel legally and financially responsible for its actions in Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories. Genocide Finally, the summit tasked a legal committee comprising Arab states party to the 1948 Genocide Convention with examining the classification of Palestinian displacement, forced expulsion, ethnic cleansing, and mass destruction as components of genocide. This includes policies inducing mass exodus through widespread destruction, collective punishment, starvation, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid.
Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
