WORLD> Middle East
Arab FMs meet on Israeli raids on Gaza
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-31 19:50

CAIRO - Arab foreign ministers met Wednesday to hammer out a unified Arab stance on the current Israeli military offensive against the Gaza Strip, as warplanes struck Hamas targets for a fifth day and Palestinian militants fired back with rockets.

Earlier in the day, the Cairo-based Arab League (AL) started an emergency meeting of foreign ministers to discuss the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and means of putting an end to the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave.

During the meeting at the headquarters of the pan-Arab body, the Arab foreign ministers are highly expected to form a common stance of the Arab world on the deadly Israeli offensive on Gaza.

On Saturday, Israel launched massive air raids on the Hamas- ruled Gaza Strip, which has so far killed more than 380 and injured over 1,600 in the Palestinian territory.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit has called on Arabs "to be calm to reach firm decisions against the Israeli attacks," the Egyptian Gazette reported on Wednesday.

Abul Gheit said his country will present a plan to the Arab foreign ministers during the meeting on Wednesday.

During the opening session of the meeting, AL Secretary General Amr Moussa called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to take necessary measures to stop the Israeli attacks against Gazans.

Noting the military action is an election-motivated step of Israel, Moussa urged the Arabs to refer the Israeli attacks to the UN Security Council for discussion.  

Moussa also called on various Palestinian groups to narrow their differences in face of the Israeli offensive.

The Palestinian groups should return to the negotiating table to reach an inter-Palestinian reconciliation so that they could stand up to the challenge in Gaza, said the AL chief.

"Our Palestinian brothers should have an immediate reconciliation meeting," Moussa said, adding "We must unite our ranks and everyone must stop pouring oil on the fire."

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who presided the meeting, also called on the Palestinians to reach national reconciliation in face of the Israeli attacks.

This "massacre" would not have happened if the Palestinians were united behind one leadership, al-Faisal said at the opening session.

"It's the time for the Palestinian factions to hold a decisive meeting that would result in the formation of a national unity government," al-Faisal said.

During the following closed-door session, the Arab foreign ministers are also expected to discuss the possibility of holding an extraordinary Arab summit on the Israeli attacks.

On the possibility of holding an Arab summit, Abul Gheit said the plan should wait until the foreign ministers' meeting.

Israel on Wednesday turned down a France-proposed initiative for a 48-hour humanitarian ceasefire in the missiles-battered Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday that now is not the time to halt the ongoing operation at Gaza, Israeli media reported.

Israel "did not launch the Gaza offensive only to end it while the rocket fire remains unchanged," Olmert was quoted as saying at a cabinet meeting, stressing that "we've been restraining ourselves for years and Israel gave the lull a fair chance."

Despite Israel's devastating air raids, Gazan militants on Wednesday continued firing rockets and mortar shells at southern Israel.

The Palestinian rocket barrage has caused four deaths and over a dozen injuries on the Israeli side since Israel kicked off the ongoing offensive around Saturday noon.

An Egypt-brokered truce in and around Gaza between Israel and Gaza militant groups led by Hamas expired on December 19.