Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, expressed that UN Security Council Resolution No. 2722, adopted on Friday, which calls for a truce and extended humanitarian corridors throughout the Gaza Strip, is long overdue and falls short of the anticipated outcome—a comprehensive ceasefire in the Strip.
The Secretary-General noted that while the decision aims to avert famine in Gaza and rescue people, especially women and children, from a dire situation, it is insufficient to halt the Israeli aggression machine, notably lacking a ceasefire provision.
Highlighting the decision's delayed nature due to Israeli requests for postponement, the Secretary-General emphasised the need not only for humanitarian aid to enter the Strip but also for the protection of civilians from ongoing bombings. He stressed the necessity of achieving a sustainable ceasefire and promptly initiating a large-scale relief operation to provide life's essential necessities for the hundreds of thousands in need.
Mr. Aboul Gheit concluded his statement by emphasising that every effort to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Gaza is a step in the right direction. However, he underscored that addressing the humanitarian catastrophe requires comprehensive measures, not partial or palliative ones, to appease global public opinion's outrage over the situation in Gaza.
The Secretary-General stressed that rejecting an immediate ceasefire amounts to granting a licence to kill. He asserted that Arab efforts will persist in seeking an end to the war, urging the United States to reassess the situation and make a correct decision considering both humanitarian and political perspectives, rather than succumbing to the desires of the Israeli extreme right, which inflicts collective punishment and comprehensive revenge on the 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip.
