Representatives from Arab League member states and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation gathered today to discuss the events unfolding in Gaza, the first broader regional meeting in nearly five weeks since Israel began its aggression on Gaza — which has killed more than 11,000 Palestinians and displaced more than half the Strip’s population as the Occupation has pummeled civilians with airstrikes, cut off vital supplies and launched a ground invasion.
The summit issued a closing statement consisting of 31 clauses that centered the condemnation of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, calling for the restoration of the peace process based on 1967 borders, the opening of the Rafah border crossing and the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip. Additionally, the statement calls for a halt on the export of weapons to Israel and for the International Criminal Court to investigate Israeli war crimes.
However, there are no clear, binding resolutions, or practical steps to implement any of these clauses.
The statement mentioned Tunisia’s reservation on everything in the statement except for the points related to an immediate cessation of aggression and the entry of aid. It also mentioned Iraq’s reservation on the phrase “two-state solution” and the phrase “killing civilians” because it “equates the Palestinian martyr and the Israeli settler” as well as the phrase “establishing normal relations with it” in reference to normalizing relations with Israel.
The reservations mentioned in the closing statement reflect the disagreements that have played out behind the scenes over the last few days as the summit’s preparations were finalized, according to two government sources who spoke to Mada Masr. The most important of these disagreements concern several points: a reference to the right to non-violent resistance, a condemnation of “terrorism and the use of violence,” a call to sever relations with Israel, and the unilateral opening of the Rafah border crossing.
Meanwhile, Egypt and Qatar continue to collaborate on joint efforts aimed at achieving progress in reaching a “sustainable truce,” the entry of aid, and the release of prisoners, according to Egyptian sources who spoke to Mada Masr.
Representatives at the summit included the heads of state from the most important regional countries, including President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad, whose country is involved with Egypt in mediating a ceasefire and a mutual exchange of prisoners with Hamas and Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose speech lacked the usual criticism of Israel, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who spoke about “standing by the prophet of Allah” and that “today is the day of action and the struggle of truth against falsehood” in Gaza without committing to any specific steps, also participated. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also attended the summit, marking the second time since Syria’s suspension from the Arab League in 2011 after the suppression of the Syrian revolution.
At the opening of the summit, Arab leaders spoke about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Some emphasized that it should be immediate, without explicitly using the term “Israeli aggression,” which was a fundamental point mentioned at similar Arab summits prior to the Abraham Accords.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who led the summit, emphasized the need to impose an immediate ceasefire and called for the release of prisoners.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit spoke directly about three points, the first of which was a ceasefire, as a “priority.” However, his reference came after describing the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip as a response to the “Aqsa Flood” operation carried out by Hamas on October 7.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas then spoke in a speech described as a “rare appearance” of the Palestinian leader by Palestinians on social media, calling for a ceasefire while emphasizing that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people.
Sisi also spoke about an immediate and sustainable ceasefire, with many references to “both sides.” Jordan’s King Abdullah II also mentioned in his speech that the current situation in Gaza did not start on October 7, a reference that only a few participants echoed.
But the speeches of Arab and Islamic leaders, in general, mirrored the closing statement in that they did not include any specific steps to reach a ceasefire or even ensure sustainable humanitarian pauses and the entry of relief and medical supplies, as called for by the UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.
During the preparations in the days leading up to the summit, Egypt, Jordan, and Gulf countries, including Qatar, rejected a proposal presented by Iraq, Lebanon, Tunisia, Syria, and Algeria to sever economic relations with Israel. The UAE and Bahrain also refused to refer to the right to resistance, a proposition put forward by Tunisia, Iraq, and Syria.
Iraq and Algeria rejected a proposal by the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt that condemns the “use of violence,” according to the two Egyptian sources.
The two sources, who spoke separately two days before the summit, stated that Cairo will not support the side discussions at the Arab summit on what is being raised in some Arab capitals, including Abu Dhabi, about the need to “seize the current moment” to permanently end Hamas’ rule in Gaza.
The sources confirmed, in almost identical language, that Egypt has informed the United States and Israel that the talk of ending Hamas is simply unrealistic, not because Cairo supports or agrees with Hamas, but because Cairo wants stability in Gaza, which is directly adjacent to its eastern border. Egypt also realizes that even if Hamas’ military capabilities were significantly reduced, it does not mean the end of Hamas, although it may weaken it greatly for a long time.
“Simply put, Egypt does not want the war in the Gaza Strip to end only to be followed by armed clashes between Hamas and the Palestinian National Authority, which some forces, including Israel, would drag into the strip without proper arrangements to prevent renewed internal fighting,” one of the government sources said.
The Palestinian National Authority and Hamas engaged in direct fighting in 2007, less than a year after Hamas’ sweeping victory in the legislative elections — the last such elections held — which took place in 2006.
The dispute between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority was mentioned by Aboul Gheit in his speech, The Arab League Secretary-General said that discussing the future of Gaza cannot be separated from discussing the West Bank and the future of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Aboul Gheit called for an international peace conference to shift the focus from war to a political settlement.
The Palestinian Authority president, in turn, called for an international peace conference and requested international protection for the Palestinian people. He pledged to pursue international legal action for the crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinian people.
Sisi stated that “an international investigation should be conducted into all violations committed against international law.”
Several Arab leaders and international officials also spoke about rejecting the forced displacement of the people of Gaza, reconstruction and ensuring the delivery of urgent relief aid. Some speeches also emphasized the need to keep the crossings open to Gaza in an ambiguous manner without specifying whether it refers to the humanitarian corridors that Israel still rejects or the Rafah crossing.
According to the Egyptian government source, a number of Arab countries, including Iraq and Algeria, have proposed to the Arab League that the Arab-Islamic summit statement include a clear reference to the commitment to keep the Rafah border crossing open. Rafah is the only crossing for the Gaza Strip to connect with the outside world, and it should remain open without any conditions, away from Israel’s sole administration.
Both government sources said that Egypt categorically rejected the issue of opening the Rafah border crossing from one side.
An Egyptian security source confirmed to Mada Masr a few days ago that Cairo will never take this step, explaining that the Rafah crossing is opened from the Egyptian side in coordination with Israel and also with the United States, whether for the exit of foreigners, Egyptians, or critically ill Palestinians for treatment in Egyptian hospitals. The source said that opening the crossing without coordination is “foolishness, as we know that anything that enters without coordination with Israel will be bombed, and this is not a matter of heroic stances.”
The same source explained that the trucks that were allowed to enter Gaza were approved by Israel after inspection.
The closing statement of the summit stipulates that the siege on Gaza should be broken and that “the entry of Arab, Islamic, and international humanitarian aid convoys, including food, medicine, and fuel, to the strip immediately.” According to the two government sources, this means that any decisions issued by the summit “will only be implemented within the framework of the positions of sovereign countries,” and that there will be no change in Egypt’s current policy regarding the crossing. This is in line with what was stated in the statement about “supporting all steps taken by the Arab Republic of Egypt to confront the consequences of the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza.”
Given the divide at the summit, Egypt is continuing to focus on its own diplomatic efforts.
An informed Egyptian government source told Mada Masr that discussions regarding a sustainable truce and the stable entry of relief are taking place between Egypt, Qatar, Hamas, Israel, and the United States in mostly undisclosed consultations, noting that this file was one of the main topics of meetings held in Cairo in recent days. Some of these meetings were attended by the US Central Intelligence Agency head William Burns, who conducted consultations at several stops in the region after his arrival last week. This was also discussed during the meeting between Sisi and the emir of Qatar, who visited Cairo yesterday coming from Abu Dhabi, as well as a meeting with Hamas Political Bureau head Ismail Haniyeh, who resides in Qatar.
The government source, who is directly familiar with the parallel negotiation tracks and spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity, said that no one can really say that there are steps that can be taken regarding a ceasefire because the United States does not “yet” want to pressure Israel in this regard, “despite what we notice that the Americans have become aware of the danger of the continuation of the current situation.”
“In fact, it cannot be said that the United States has control over the decision to stop the war because there is an agreement in the Israeli war cabinet to continue the path of war until some of the goals specified are achieved,” the source added.
“Regardless of the losses that Israel incurs today in the context of the war, Netanyahu wants to continue at least until reaching some key leaders in the Qassam Brigades [the military wing of Hamas],” the source said, which is why it seems difficult to talk about a ceasefire “today, tomorrow, or the day after.”
The source explained that what Cairo and Doha are currently working on is reaching a mutual prisoner exchange deal that includes Israelis held by Hamas and Palestinians in Israeli prisons, noting that this route is different from the route of evacuating foreigners from the Gaza Strip, which both Qatar, Egypt, Hamas, and Israel are also involved in discussion on with the American side and which “has made some progress and will achieve more progress in the coming days,” according to the source.
According to the source, it is expected that the parties will reach a “formulation” that allows for the entry of at least 150 relief aid trucks daily into Gaza, which may include the necessary fuel for hospitals. “I think we can reach something within a week or so, but of course, things are fluid and subject to significant changes,” the source added.
At the same time, an Egyptian government source said that it does not seem likely that Cairo will recall its ambassador to Tel Aviv, confirming that the countries that have recalled their ambassadors from Israel have done so for consultations, “and no actual form of Arab or Islamic cooperation with Israel has been suspended.” This applies not only to the countries that signed the Abraham Accords but also includes Turkey and others. “The talk of recalling ambassadors and suspending cooperation is unrealistic today,” the source says. “The realistic approach is the parallel security and political efforts to reach a solution.”
The Egyptian government source stated that Cairo “will not pay attention to attempts to outbid other countries and will act within the framework of what achieves an improvement on the ground in Gaza without harming Egyptian interests.”
“Yes, we refused talking about making a decision to sever diplomatic relations with Israel or recall ambassadors and all these things because we do not see any benefit from all that,” the source said. “But we see harm not only to Egyptian interests but also to the opportunities for sending relief and the exit of the injured from Gaza or working with Israel after the end of the war to discuss the administrative and security arrangements for the strip.”
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