Cairo: The Arab League Council meeting at the level of permanent representatives began today, with Bahrain chairing and Palestine actively participating, at the General Secretariat headquarters in Cairo. This meeting sets the stage for the upcoming 165th session of the Council at the level of foreign ministers, which will occur via video conference. Key figures attending the meeting include the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Hossam Zaki, among several assistant secretaries-general.
According to Union of OIC News Agencies, Palestine's delegation was led by Ambassador Muhannad Al-Aklouk, Palestine's representative to the League of Arab States, alongside First Counselor Rizq Al-Zaanin, First Counselor Tamer Al-Tayeb, First Secretary Reham Al-Barghouthi, and diplomats Ola Amer and Maher Masoud of the Palestinian Mission. The Council's agenda covered issues including the protection of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Arab states facing Iranian attacks.
Ambassador Al-Aklouk updated the Council on the ongoing Israeli escalation by the extremist right-wing government and its military forces in the occupied Palestinian territories. He highlighted these actions as violations of international humanitarian law and breaches of ceasefire agreements, emphasizing the aggressive nature targeting civilians and properties in Palestinian territories.
He warned about the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip and increasing settler attacks in the West Bank. Al-Aklouk stressed that the continuation of these Israeli policies could render regional conflicts ineffective.
Additionally, he addressed the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem by Israeli forces, preventing worshippers' access under security pretexts related to an American-Israeli conflict with Iran. This closure, a precedent since 1967, occurred during Ramadan, affecting religious rites. Al-Aklouk noted the isolation of Jerusalem's Old City through military checkpoints and raised concerns about settler groups' calls to alter the status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque.