By NNN-KUNA,
Cairo : The Arab League Council has condemned the Israeli settlement activities in the Palestinian territories especially those in East Jerusalem.
Concluding its emergency meeting held on the level of permanent envoys here Thursday, the council adopted a statement warning against the accelerated Jewish settlement expansions.
“The Israeli settlement plans in East Jerusalem aim to change the geographical and demographical realty of the Holy City and its vicinity and separate Jerusalem from the rest of the occupied West Bank,” according to the statement.
The Arab League renewed condemnation of the illegal Israeli policies to confiscate Palestinian land, raze Palestinian homes and plantations in order to expand the existing settlements. “These illegal practices can only undermine the Arab-Israeli peace process and abort the efforts to resume substantive Palestinian-Israeli final status talks,” the statement underlined.
It called on the United States to honour its commitments as sponsor of the Middle East peace process, meet its promises made in the Annapolis peace meeting, and declare a clear position on the Jewish settlements.
The statement reasserted the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and statehood.
It asked the Arab group of states at the United Nations to act urgently in coordination with other regional groups such as the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to push for a draft UN Security Council resolution against Jewish settlements. The draft resolution, sponsored by Saudi Arabia, is based on the Fourth Geneva Convention for 1949 and other relevant international laws.
Concerning the Arab-African cooperation, the League council called on Secretary-General Amr Moussa to hold contacts with the relevant parties to arrange for the second Arab-African summit, due in Sharm El-Sheikh on June 30 and July1.
It also urged acceleration of the launching of the Arab-African development forum which will group the member countries of the Arab League and the African Union.