Arab League chief urges international probe into "Israeli crimes"

CAIRO, July 21 (KUNA) -- The Arab League's Secretary General Ahmad Abul-Gheit has called for a broad investigation into "Israeli atrocities committed against Palestinians and its de facto blockade of the Gaza Strip." The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at a perilous juncture in the aftermath of US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem, which has long been a flashpoint for violence, as the capital of Israel, an Arab League diplomat said at the 28th extraordinary session of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union on Saturday.
Speaking on behalf of Abul-Gheit, the regional bloc's assistant secretary general for Palestinian affairs Saeed Abuali cited the US government's decision to slash funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as "another dangerous precedent." He emphasized that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict lies at the crux of the Arab region's concerns, condemning Israel's adoption of a "Jewish-nation state" law, which declares that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country, as overtly racist.
The Arab region will remain resolute in its support for the Palestinians until their aspirations for statehood come to fruition, the diplomat told the gathering requested by Kuwait's chief lawmaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim.
The meeting has been called to address the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, amid an unprecedented degree of outrage across the Arab region over Israel's continued transgressions, he explained. (end) ms.rg.nam