Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said on Monday that the current Arab landscape is “not in its best condition” and contains vulnerabilities that require Arab countries to remain vigilant and attentive.
Speaking during the resumed 165th ordinary ministerial session of the Arab League Council, Aboul Gheit stated that several Arab countries have experienced attempts by regional neighbors to expand their influence and interfere in regional affairs.
He said that Iran had directed its “hostility and aggression” toward a number of Arab countries that had sought to maintain good-neighborly relations.
Aboul Gheit added that the future of the region, despite its youthful population and significant potential for progress and achievement, remains threatened by instability and surrounded by ongoing conflicts.
“This region, rich in youthful energy and opportunities for excellence and advancement, is unfortunately still encircled by a belt of fire, threatened in its stability, targeted in its resources, and deprived of attaining the position it deserves,” he said.
The Arab League chief also expressed regret over what he described as a decline in international attention to the Palestinian cause as a result of the wars and conflicts currently unfolding across the region.
He stated that during his ten-year tenure as Secretary-General of the Arab League, Israeli authorities had not seriously engaged in efforts to achieve peace. Instead, he said, Israel had entrenched its occupation and intensified actions against the Palestinian people while expanding settlement activity aimed at creating conditions that would make the establishment of a Palestinian state increasingly difficult.
Aboul Gheit also addressed the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, saying that tens of thousands had been martyred in what he described as a campaign targeting civilians and the fabric of society itself, alongside efforts aimed at forcing people from their land.
He stressed that war would bring neither security nor peace and would instead generate further conflict and confrontation.
“There is no alternative to the two-state solution as the framework for ending the occupation and achieving peace,” he said.
