34th Arab League Summit held in Iraq with focus on Palestinian issue

BAGHDAD - The 34th Arab League Summit kicked off in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Saturday, bringing together the bloc's 22 member states, along with a number of regional and international organizations, to address critical challenges facing the Arab world, particularly the ongoing crisis in Palestine.

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, who took over the rotating presidency from Bahrain, highlighted in his speech the grave threats facing the region. He condemned the Israeli "systematic killing" of Palestinians since October 2023, describing it as an attempt to "erase their presence from their land".

"We categorically condemn these acts, which violate human rights and international law," Rashid said, reaffirming Iraq's unwavering support for the Palestinian people's right to live on their land and rejection of any attempts at their forced displacement.

He also emphasized Iraq's support for Arab security and stability, rejecting external interference in the internal affairs of Arab nations.

Addressing the summit's opening session, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani unveiled 18 initiatives to revitalize joint Arab action, foremost among them the initiative to establish an Arab Fund to support post-crisis reconstruction efforts in the region.

Al-Sudani said that Iraq's vision for ending the conflicts in the region "begins with the Palestinian people attaining their full right to a free and dignified life on their land and an end to the ongoing aggression (against their territory)".

"We have rejected, and continue to reject, forcible displacement of Palestinians, calling for an immediate halt to the attacks on the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and other occupied Palestinian territories, and for the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid," al-Sudani added, while announcing Iraq's pledge of 20 million US dollars for the reconstruction of Gaza and another 20 million dollars for Lebanon.