Arab League seeks end to Israel's violent escalation

Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Arab foreign ministers discussed ways on Monday to halt what they called Israel's “dangerous escalation” of violence against Palestinians. The extraordinary session of the Council of Arab League at the Foreign Ministers level slammed the organized terror being perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces and the Jewish settlers, saying that these amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity, the Saudi Press Agency reported. In a statement issued at the end of the meeting here, the council called on the international community to take decisive steps to compel Israel to halt these practices that undermine the stability and security of the entire region. The ministers also urged the Palestinians to continue their tenacious fight in defending their land and holy sites in the wake of the dangerous practices being pursued by the occupying forces. “Israel is fully responsible for these barbarous crimes.” United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan chaired the gathering of the 22-member bloc, and said the Palestinian issue is key to peace and security in the region. “This emergency meeting comes with the dangerous escalation by the Israeli government, the settlers, the Jewish extremist groups, and the Israeli forces in the blessed city of Jerusalem. “We gather today to take a decision about what we can do to stop these crimes and violations,” the UAE minister said. Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Arabi urged the UN Security Council and others to work towards a just end to the conflict. The meeting came on the eve of the Fourth Summit of Arab and South American countries, to be held in the Saudi capital.