Arab League criticizes Western powers, demands end to Israeli aggression

The Arab League has renewed its call on Israel to stop its aggression in Gaza and the West Bank as its secretary-general accused Tel Aviv of a year of "genocide of ethnic cleansing" supported by some Western powers.

During the meeting of the 162nd Arab League Council at the Level of Foreign Ministers held in Cairo on Sept 10, Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, the Arab League’s secretary-general, accused some Western powers of providing a safety umbrella for Israel's crimes and political cover for the killings, leading to the prolongation of the conflict and its expanding repercussions, according to the Weibo account of China Central Television (CCTV) International News.

Aboul-Gheit said the world had witnessed almost a year of genocide, a year of ethnic cleansing and of displacement, as he accused the international community of failing to take decisive action, which has enabled Israel to carry on its military activities with impunity.

"The great powers in the world today are either unwilling or unable to exert pressure on the occupation," he was quoted as saying by the UAE media outlet The National.

The meeting, chaired by Yemen, was also attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, a first in 13 years, European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, and UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag.

Fidan urged his counterparts to unite and continue putting pressure on the international community to reject Israel’s aggression. He warned that those who continue to support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be held accountable for it.

Gokhan Ereli, Gulf studies coordinator at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies in Turkiye, told China Daily, the most significant takeaway from the Arab League meeting was the growing disconnect between regional countries and Western powers, particularly the United States.

"Despite the EU's efforts, the US has shown little to no willingness to take clear, serious, and realistic measures against Israel, which has further hardened the stance of regional countries," said Ereli.

"In this context, it is evident that the Arab League has taken an unusually firm and unequivocal position on the Palestinian issue, and we can expect this to evolve into not just a unified stance among Arab nations, but also one that includes key regional powerhouses like Turkiye. More importantly, this could translate into unified action," he added.

The Arab League’s condemnation came on the same day Israel bombed the Al-Mawasi "safe zone" in Gaza, which killed 19 people and wounded 60 others, Al Jazeera reported. The report also noted that a US-made 2,000-pound (907kg) MK-84 bomb was used in the latest attack.

Despite the uncertainties in safety, UNRWA, or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, said its vaccination drive for Gaza’s children against the poliovirus would continue.

"Despite the significant incident yesterday where the Israeli Army stopped a UN convoy with staff traveling to provide #polio vaccinations, our teams have been able to vaccinate thousands of children in north #Gaza today," said UNRWA on its X account on Sept 10.

"This is a race against time, the spread of polio is a very real threat. Our colleagues continue to do the impossible to reach every child under the age of 10 across the GazaStrip," it added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took to social media to condemn Israel’s air strikes on what was supposed to be an Israeli-designated zone for displaced people in Gaza.

In a post on X, he noted that the Palestinians "had moved to this area in search of shelter and safety, after being repeatedly instructed to do so by the Israeli authorities".

"I repeat my call for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages still held in Gaza," said Guterres.

Ahmed Ayesh Alnajjar, director-general of international relations at the Education Ministry in Gaza, who has been displaced many times over the past year, said there "is nothing called safe zone" as it "is a big lie".

Alnajjar told China Daily of several families that have been victims of Israeli bombings across Palestinian territories from Rafah to the Al-Farouq Mosque in the Al-Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, and Tubas City in the northern West Bank —- "all in a few hours only".