Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The UAE has called for an urgent Security Council meeting on Friday to discuss the rapidly escalating situation in the West Bank and its impact on the viability of the two-state solution, according to a post on X by Shahad Matar, official spokesperson of the UAE permanent mission to the UN.
“Extremist settler violence and reports of Israeli raids put a political horizon for Israel and Palestine at severe risk,” the post added.
Moreover, the UAE established a field hospital, treating thousands of wounded and ill Gazans, and provided urgent assistance through UNRWA.
The United Arab Emirates emphasised the urgency of bolstering solidarity and cooperation to safeguard the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip.
In a call to the global community, it stressed the necessity for prompt humanitarian assistance and the intensification of diplomatic efforts to facilitate aid delivery, cease hostilities, and ensure civilian protection in accordance with international humanitarian law.
This appeal was made during a special session of the Arab Parliament, which convened recently at the Arab League’s headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
Mohammed Ahmed Al Yamahi, a member of the Federal National Council and leader of the UAE Parliamentary Division in the Arab Parliament, alongside Naama Abdullah Al Sharhan, a council member and deputy head of the division, were key participants in these discussions, which focused on the current situation in the Gaza Strip.
Al Yamahi, in his address on behalf of the UAE Parliamentary Division, emphasised the session’s critical timing, given the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip.
He highlighted the severe impacts, including loss of life, destruction of residential areas, educational facilities, health infrastructure, and the forced displacement of Gaza’s inhabitants.
“These are moments of crisis and challenging times in Palestinian territories. It’s crucial to strive for solidarity and collaboration, and urge governments and the global community to deliver urgent humanitarian assistance,” he stated.
Al Yamahi called for concerted regional and international parliamentary diplomatic efforts, in partnership with global entities, to provide aid, halt escalation, and protect civilians as per international humanitarian law.
Al Yamahi also noted the UAE’s ongoing efforts, under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to transport humanitarian aid to help the civilians in the Gaza Strip.
This includes establishing a field hospital, treating thousands of wounded and ill Gazans, and providing urgent assistance through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).
He highlighted the UAE’s “Compassion for Gaza” campaign aimed at supporting the Palestinian people and the country’s important role in passing the historic Security Council Resolution 2720. This resolution established a new UN mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid, a crucial lifeline for Gaza’s residents.
In line with these developments, the Arab League has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza to open up channels for humanitarian relief and lay the groundwork for peace, while addressing the conflict’s underlying causes.
Ambassador Saeed Abu Ali, Arab League’s Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories Sector, addressed the Arab Parliament, stating that “anyone opposing an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is complicit in the crime”.
“Gaza’s plight is that of Palestine, and it can only be addressed by ending the occupation, establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, along the June 4, 1967 borders,” Abu Ali added.
Abu Ali firmly stated that the path to resolution does not lie in military or security measures, nor through isolating Gaza from the West Bank, perpetuating occupation, diminishing its land and people through destruction and displacement, or sidelining the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian right to self-determination.
He asserted that opening the political horizon towards a two-state solution necessitates a decisive international commitment to transform it into reality through an international conference that establishes a specific timeline and roadmap.
