Arab League: Gaza crisis end linked to Israeli occupation forces withdrawal

CAIRO, April 29 (KUNA) -- The plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip would end only when Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the enclave, paving the way for Palestinian statehood, the chief of the Arab League said on Monday.
The two-state solution to the Middle East conflict can come to fruition with "international determination," which includes the recognition of an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 border lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, the chief of the Cario-based bloc's Palestinian affairs department Dr. Saeed Abuali told the Arab Peace Group, on behalf of the Arab League secretary general.
The aforementioned matter has the backing of the "vast majority" of nations who have demonstrated their support in a plethora of initiatives ranging from international gatherings to local protests, all of which call for an end to the "mass genocide" committed by Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinians, the official underlined.
He lashed out at Israeli occupation forces for their "systemic acts of violence," across the West Bank and Gaza, which include the forced displacement of Palestinians there, in addition to other malpractices that are tantamount to "ethnic cleansing," he added.
On a recent US veto of a United Nations draft (UN) resolution that blocked a Palestinian bid for statehood through UN membership, the official lamented the move as a dangerous precedent that seriously undermines any chances of peace in the Middle East, while giving credit to the 12 countries that voted in favor of the resolution.
The official decried the harrowing toll of the war on the Gaza Strip, citing that more than 120,000 Palestinians were left either dead or wounded amid the destruction, while thousands of others are still trapped underneath the rubble, according to UN statistics.
He went on to highlight the growing significance of the media, in addition to global humanitarian organizations in exposing "Israeli crimes," while simultaneously ratcheting up pressure on the international community in a bid to put an end to the violence. (end) mfm.nam