Arabs should stand with Saudi Arabia against Netanyahu's ‘ridiculous’ proposal, says Qatar’s ex-PM

Former Qatar Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassim has called on Arabs to adopt a “single and clear position” rejecting the displacement of Palestinians and turning Gaza into a “real estate project that is bought and sold”, and to take this position to the UN Security Council. He also called on the Arab world to stand with Saudi Arabia against Benjamin Netanyahu’s “ridiculous” proposal to establish a Palestinian state in the Kingdom.

“Today we are witnessing demands and hearing statements calling for the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and turning it into a real estate project that is bought and sold, as well as calls for the occupation of more Arab lands. In light of this, I say that an Arab summit will be held soon in Cairo, and that it will be important at this time and under the circumstances we are living in. Therefore, we must stress that this summit will not be like previous Arab summits,” wrote Bin Jassim on social media.

“The upcoming summit must reach a clear Arab statement and position that everyone commits to, in secret and in public, to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, and reject their displacement and the seizure of what remains of their land by force, in compliance with Security Council resolutions, other international resolutions, and Arab League initiatives that give both parties the right to live in peace side by side.”

He pointed out that “the problem is that [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu does not want peace, and does not want to establish a Palestinian state according to international resolutions, but rather wants Israel to remain as it is now, nibbling away and occupying more Palestinian lands and even Arab lands. This is evidenced by his remarks regarding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which we must stand by, as well as stand by its firm and clear position concerning the Palestinian issue, and with regards to Netanyahu’s ridiculous proposal, which, had he thought about it a little, he would not have made.”

The Arab countries, added the former Qatar official, must go to the Security Council after the summit with a unified and clear position, in which they confirm their previous positions based on UN resolutions. “If anyone is going to use their veto, let them do so, but there must be a clear position in the Security Council, the UN General Assembly and the Arab League. Islamic countries should also participate in this.”

US President Donald Trump has said that the US will “control” the Gaza Strip and “own it” and will be responsible for the reconstruction of Gaza and turning it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” for the world. Trump described Gaza as a “demolition site” and said that its residents must leave it and head to other countries and “will not have the right to return,” suggesting that they live instead in Jordan, Egypt or elsewhere.

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