Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, asserted that the brutal Israeli war on Gaza represents the fifth round of hostilities since Israel unilaterally separated from the Gaza Strip without a peace agreement. He emphasised the necessity of breaking this cycle through a peaceful process to end the occupation.
The Secretary-General was speaking during the New Initiatives to Achieve Peace session at the Manama Dialogue, hosted by Bahrain and attended by security officials, diplomats, and regional and international experts.
Gamal Roshdy, the spokesperson of the Secretary-General, said Mr. Aboul Gheit said that the crisis is often traced back to Hamas' attacks on Israel on 7 October. However, he argued that the root cause lies in the continuous Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967. Mr. Aboul Gheit emphasised that Israel aims to retain control over land in every Palestinian region, seeking security and peace. He noted that events over the years have exposed the flaws in this perspective.
Mr. Aboul Gheit highlighted that the current situation stems from the erosion of the peace process, the overthrow of the Oslo process, and the escalating influence of the Israeli right, which has become increasingly extreme. This trend has actively worked to dismantle prospects for peace, undermine the Palestinian partner, and portray Palestinians as a security threat. Mr. Aboul Gheit argued that the occupation regime seeks to endure by subjugating Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
He pointed out that there are no new peace initiatives needed, as the Arab Peace Initiative, introduced in 2002, has long been on the table. Grounded in the principle of land for peace, it pledges normal relations with Israel upon withdrawal from the territories occupied in 1967 and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Mr. Aboul Gheit stressed that Israel has consistently rejected this initiative since its inception. He urged Israeli leaders and the public to recognise that genuine security lies in a political settlement, not the perpetuation of occupation. The Palestinians, he asserted, will persist in their struggle for independence as long as the occupation endures.
Roshdy clarified that the Secretary-General vehemently underscored the peril of ideas advocating the displacement of Palestinians to neighbouring countries like Egypt or Jordan. He stressed that such an option would lead to chaos, violence, and long-term instability in the entire Middle East. The League and the Palestinians, he added, unequivocally reject any scenario involving the evacuation and ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
