CAIRO: The Arab League (AL) on Sunday condemned Israeli air attacks on the Gaza Strip, stressing that the United Nations and the international community must take action to end the ongoing assaults. Meanwhile Secretary General Nabil El-Araby assured that the Palestinians will seek recognition from the UN in September, but refused to respond to questions about the AL's reaction to a US veto against a Security Council vote on the topic. "We issued a statement condemning the Israeli offensive on Gaza and Egyptian land which is not new for Israel which has always ignored international laws and treaties. However we leave the Egyptian government to respond to Israel's attacks," El-Araby told reporters in Cairo press conference Sunday after an urgent AL meeting. The AL continues to be in open session. El-Arabi assured reporters that the Arab League will ask Switzerland to organize an urgent meeting of countries that have signed the Geneva accord, which is the permanent status agreement to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on previous negotiations. He added that the Arab countries also agreed to discuss ending the Gaza siege with the international community. "The United Nations has to take steps to stop the Israeli offensive on Gaza," he said, without giving further details to what measures or procedures the Arab League is expecting.
