Arab Summit voices ‘full' support for Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem
Arab leaders attend the opening session of the 34th Arab League summit in Baghdad on May 17, 2025 (AFP photo)
AMMAN/BAGHDAD —The final joint statement of the Arab Summit, which concluded on Saturday in Baghdad, reiterated 'full' support for the Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem's Islamic and Christian holy sites.
The statement also underlined the Hashemite custodianship's 'pivotal role in protecting Jerusalem's identity,' the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
Arab leaders also hailed the Restoring Hope Initiative, which was launched in September last year in the Gaza Strip, under Royal directives, to provide prosthetic limbs to those who have been disabled due to the ongoing war.
The leaders urged the international community to press for a Gaza ceasefire, as Israel launched an expanded military offensive in the Palestinian territory, AFP reported.
In the final statement, Arab League members also called for funding to back their Gaza reconstruction plan, after US President Donald Trump reiterated a proposal to take over the strip.
The Arab leaders called "on the international community... to exert pressure to end the bloodshed and ensure that urgent humanitarian aid can enter without obstacles all areas in need in Gaza."
They also said that they "firmly" rejected any plans to displace Palestinians.
It came hours after Israel's military launched a new Gaza offensive, saying it was part of "the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip" aimed at defeating Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Appearing at the summit as a guest, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez appealed for increased pressure "to halt the massacre in Gaza,' according to Petra.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi urged his US counterpart Donald Trump to "apply all necessary efforts... for a ceasefire".
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres told the summit that "we need a permanent ceasefire, now".
Guterres said he was "alarmed by reported plans by Israel to expand ground operations and more".
"We reject the repeated displacement of the Gaza population, along with any question of forced displacement outside of Gaza."
During a press conference, he urged an end to Israel's aid blockade on Gaza.
"A policy of siege and starvation makes a mockery of international law," Guterres said.
'Unacceptable number'
Sanchez, who has sharply criticised the Israeli offensive, said world leaders should "intensify our pressure on Israel to halt the massacre in Gaza, particularly through the channels afforded to us by international law".
He said his government planned a UN resolution demanding an International Court of Justice ruling on Israel's war methods.
The "unacceptable number" of war victims in Gaza violates the "principle of humanity", he said.
The summit came days after a tour of the Gulf by Trump, who has sparked uproar by declaring the United States could take over Gaza and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East".
The scheme that included the proposed displacement of Palestinians was widely condemned, and prompted Arab leaders to come up with an alternative plan to rebuild the territory at a March summit in Cairo.
During his visit to the region, Trump reiterated that he wanted the United States to "take" Gaza and turn it into a "freedom zone".
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani told the summit his country backed the creation of an "Arab fund to support reconstruction efforts" after crises in the region.
He pledged $20 million to reconstruct Gaza and a similar amount for Lebanon, after an all-out war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Israel has continued to launch strikes on Lebanon despite the November 27 truce.
Syria
Iraq only recently regained a semblance of normality after decades of devastating conflict and turmoil, and its leaders view the summit as an opportunity to project an image of stability.
Baghdad last hosted an Arab League summit in 2012, during the early stages of the civil war in neighbouring Syria, which in December entered a new chapter with the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar Al Assad.
In Riyadh this week, Trump met Syria's interim President Ahmed Al Sharaa, whose Islamist group spearheaded the offensive that toppled Assad.
He also said he would lift sanctions on Syria, which were mainly imposed during Assad's rule.
Arab leaders welcomed the decision and said the sanctions impacted Syria's reconstruction efforts.
Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani represented Syria, one of many countries to send ministerial-level delegations instead of leaders.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Roya News
8 hours ago
- Roya News
Trump, Putin to meet in Alaska; US state once bought from Russia
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in the US state of Alaska on Friday, August 15, to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine. Trump announced the meeting on social media, while the Kremlin confirmed the date, noting that Alaska was a 'logical' choice given its relative proximity to Russia. Alaska's connection to Russia runs deeper than geography, the vast state was once Russian territory before being sold to the United States in a historic deal that reshaped the region. From Russian land to US state Russian control over Alaska dates back to the 18th century, when an expedition led by Danish navigator Vitus Bering, commissioned by Russian Tsar Peter the Great, discovered that the new land was not connected to Russia. The discovery of valuable sea otter fur opened the door to a lucrative fur trade, and the first Russian settlement in the region was established in 1784. Decades later, with sea otter populations nearing extinction and political fallout from the Crimean War, Russia became willing to sell Alaska. In 1867, then-US Secretary of State William Seward negotiated the purchase for $7.2 million. On October 18 of that year, the American flag was raised in Sitka, then the capital of Alaska, a day now celebrated annually as Alaska Day. Although the deal was initially mocked as 'Seward's Folly,' the later discovery of gold proved its strategic value. After a long path to statehood, Alaska officially became the 49th US state in 1959. The black gold that transformed Alaska Alaska's economy underwent a dramatic transformation in 1968 with the discovery of a massive oil field in Prudhoe Bay, estimated to hold around 13 billion barrels of reserves. Oil and gas quickly became the state's leading industry. In 1969 alone, Alaska earned $900 million from leasing land to oil companies. A major pipeline was built to transport crude oil across the state, forever changing its economic landscape. A lasting legacy: The Alaska Permanent Fund Recognizing that oil revenues would not last forever, then-Governor Jay Hammond established the Alaska Permanent Fund in 1976, setting aside a quarter of the state's oil royalties for future generations. Today, the fund is valued at over $65 billion. One of its most distinctive features is the Permanent Fund Dividend Program, launched in 1982, which distributes a portion of the fund's earnings annually to every Alaska resident who has lived there for at least a year. This program has helped lift between 15,000 and 25,000 people out of extreme poverty each year and regularly injects money into the local economy. Facts and figures about 'The Great Land'
Al Bawaba
11 hours ago
- Al Bawaba
Nadeen Ayoub becomes first to represent Palestine at Miss Universe
ALBAWABA - Nadeen Ayoub, a young woman residing between Dubai and Ramallah, announced her participation in the Miss Universe 2025 pageant to represent Palestine, marking a historic first for the country in this international competition. In a post on her Instagram account, the Palestinian lady wrote: "I am honored to announce that for the first time ever, Palestine will be represented at Miss Universe. Today, I step onto the Miss Universe stage not just with a title—but with a truth." She added: "As Palestine endures heartbreak—especially in Gaza—I carry the voice of a people who refuse to be silenced. I represent every Palestinian woman and child whose strength the world needs to see." "We are more than our suffering—we are resilience, hope, and the heartbeat of a homeland that lives on through us," Ayoub maintained. Nadeen Ayoub, who won the title of Miss Palestine 2022, was the first Palestinian to reach the finals of the Miss Earth pageant that year, securing a place among the top five contestants. Earlier, she had postponed her international participation in solidarity with the humanitarian crisis in Palestine. The 74th edition of the competition is scheduled to take place in Pak Kret, central Thailand, on November 21. In a statement to The National, Nadine Ayu said, "I am proud to be a voice for Palestine at this time, and I am honored to use this platform to support my people, especially in Gaza, and to show that Palestinian women are resilient, leaders, and innovators."
Ammon
14 hours ago
- Ammon
Trump may visit Israel, says White House
Ammon News - White House sources say that if the conditions are right, US President Donald Trump may visit Israel next month, before his planned visit to the United Kingdom. "The president is going to visit Britain in September, and it's possible he'll stop in Israel, but it's not certain and not yet certain," an American source told Ynet newspaper, noting: "It depends on developments, of course." An Israeli source confirmed his words, saying, "There are indeed speculations about a Trump visit, but there's nothing concrete yet. It's something that's up in the air." Trump is expected to visit Britain at the invitation of King Charles on September 17-19. The White House is currently exploring the possibility of the president visiting Israel before then – but that depends on developments in talks on a ceasefire and an end to the war in Gaza. Trump would like to visit Israel if the negotiations are successful.
