Arab leaders press for Gaza cease-fire, reject displacement plans
Arab leaders meeting Saturday at a summit in Baghdad called on the international community to push for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, as Israel ramped up its military offensive in the besieged territory.
Arab leaders pose for a group photo ahead of the opening session of the 34th Arab League summit,
Baghdad, Iraq, May 17, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Arab leaders meeting Saturday at a summit in Baghdad called on the international community to push for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, as Israel ramped up its military offensive in the besieged territory.
In a joint final statement, members of the Arab League demanded unrestricted access for humanitarian aid and appealed for funding to support their Gaza reconstruction plan, following renewed U.S. proposals by President Donald Trump to take control of the enclave.
The leaders urged the world 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 declared their firm rejection of any efforts to forcibly displace Palestinians.
The statement came hours after Israel’s military launched a new offensive in Gaza, describing it as part of “the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip” aimed at defeating the Palestinian group Hamas.
Appearing at the summit as a guest, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez appealed for increased pressure “to halt the massacre in Gaza.”
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi urged his U.S. counterpart, Trump, to “apply all necessary efforts… for a cease-fire.”
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the summit, “We need a permanent cease-fire, 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,” he added.
‘Unacceptable number’
Sanchez, who has sharply criticized 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 to push for a U.N. resolution seeking 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 sparked uproar by declaring the U.S. could take over Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
The proposal, which included the displacement of Palestinians, was widely condemned and prompted Arab leaders to propose an alternative reconstruction plan 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.”
Iraqi 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, following an all-out war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Israel has continued to launch strikes on Lebanon despite a truce that began Nov. 27.
Syria
Iraq has only recently regained a semblance of normalcy 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 neighboring Syria, which in December entered a new chapter with the overthrow of longtime dictator Bashar Assad.
In Riyadh this week, Trump met Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose group spearheaded the offensive that toppled Assad.
He also announced he would lift sanctions on Syria, which were mostly imposed during Assad’s rule.
Arab leaders welcomed the decision, saying the sanctions had hindered Syria’s reconstruction efforts.
Sharaa missed the Baghdad summit after several powerful Iraqi politicians opposed his visit.
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani represented Syria – one of many countries to send ministerial-level delegations instead of heads of state.
The summit also came amid ongoing nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S.
Trump has pursued diplomacy with Iran in a bid to avert threatened military action by Israel – a goal shared by many leaders in the region.
This week, he said a deal was “getting close,” but the next day he warned “something bad” would happen unless Iran moved fast.
Source:dailysabah.com