Dubai (TDI): The Arab League on Wednesday welcomed the changing tone in Western discourse on the Gaza conflict, appreciating the “strong majority” of EU member countries supporting a review of the EU-Israel partnership.
At least 17 out of 27 EU member countries are demanding a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. This review, launched by a proposal from the Netherlands, is rooted in the deal’s foundational requirement for respect for human rights and democratic norms.
The Arab League said that many Western countries, along with influential voices from political, civil, intellectual, and media circles, have started expressing deep concern over the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to the Arab League, these actors, for a time, influenced by Israeli narratives about the events of October 7, 2023, and largely adhered to a discourse focused on “Israel’s right to self-defense”.
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The increasingly visible brutality of military actions against civilians, particularly women and children, has badly eroded the credibility of that argument, the statement said.
The Arab League emphasized that such a narrative has proven hollow after blatant violations of international humanitarian law.
The Arab League further said that firm positions aimed at recognizing the Statehood of Palestine, warning of sanctions against Israel, banning weapons sales, halting free trade talks, and banning the import of settler products show major measures toward increasing global pressure to end the war.
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These steps gives an encouraging overture to a more precise and just understanding of this old conflict, aligned with the vision of a two-state solution, the bloc added.
The recent Madrid Conference, attended by the Arab League secretary-general, was a major diplomatic effort to focus the current crisis. The summit aimed to find a just political resolution to the issue, stressing a two-state solution.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
