Is Lebanon safe from sliding into war with Israel?

On Sunday, the ministerial committee assigned by the Arab-Islamic summit began an international move to stop the war on Gaza, as the foreign ministers of member states headed to China, at the beginning of a tour that includes a number of major countries.

Diplomats and experts who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat are counting on “the committee and its role in persuading Western countries to change their position in support of Israel, and pushing them to put pressure on it to stop the aggression that has been ongoing for more than a month against Gaza.”

The summit, which was held in Riyadh on November 11, decided to “assign the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia – in its capacity as chair of the Arab and Islamic summits – and each of Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, Nigeria and Palestine, and the secretaries-general of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation “Initiate immediate action on behalf of all member states to formulate an international move to stop the war on Gaza, and to press for the launch of a serious and real political process to achieve lasting and comprehensive peace in accordance with approved international references.”

The Permanent Representative of Palestine to the League of Arab States, Ambassador Muhannad Al-Aklouk, appreciated the start of the committee’s work, and told Asharq Al-Awsat that he “hopes that its action will be quick and effective to stop the ongoing crimes of the Israeli occupation.”

While Professor of Political Science at Cairo University, Dr. Ahmed Youssef Ahmed, the start of the committee’s work “is a kind of confirmation of following up on the summit’s decisions and the seriousness of dealing with its decisions, and that they are not just a letter on paper.” He told Asharq Al-Awsat, “The committee will be more effective in influencing the positions of the various European countries, especially since the positions of some of them have already changed,” citing the somewhat good positions of Ireland, Spain, Belgium, Norway, and Portugal toward the Palestinian issue. According to him.

The political science professor pointed out “the importance of working on the Russia-China axis,” explaining that “the two countries, although their positions are positive, do not go beyond the diplomatic level, which requires an attempt to push them to take harsher positions.”

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan announced in an official briefing that “China will be the first stop” during the ministerial committee’s tour.

The tour targets the capitals of a number of permanent members of the Security Council, with the aim of advancing the process of stopping the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, and dealing with the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Strip, according to a previous official statement by Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during which he explained that “the foreign ministers The participants will hold meetings with political leaders and foreign ministers of the countries included in the tour, with the aim of pushing the necessity of an immediate ceasefire, introducing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip in a sustainable manner, and pushing the need to address the roots and causes of the crisis through a serious political process that ends with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

For his part, the Permanent Representative of Palestine to the Arab League pointed out “the importance of every minute in light of the continued aggression.” Al-Aklouk pointed out the importance of “choosing the target countries and the language of the speech, as well as the pressure tools, whether political or legal, that have an important impact.”

He expressed his hope that “the committee will move effectively, with sufficient and adequate pressure tools on the countries to which it is heading, with the aim of reaching an immediate ceasefire and a war of annihilation against the Palestinian people, in preparation for work to end the occupation.” He added, “The action must be urgent, fast, and effective. The Arab and Islamic countries know what is effective, and they can do a lot. It appeared from the speeches of the leaders at the summit that they are aware of the war of annihilation to which the Palestinian people are being exposed.”

The resolution issued by the summit called on member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States “to exercise diplomatic, political and legal pressure, and to take any deterrent measures to stop the crimes of the colonial occupation authorities against humanity.”

The resolution affirmed “the absolute rejection and collective response to any attempts at transfer, forced displacement, exile or deportation of the Palestinian people, whether inside the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, considering this a red line and a war crime.”

While Professor of Political Science at Cairo University, Dr. Mustafa Kamel Al-Sayyed, the Ministerial Committee’s action now “is late, and it was expected to begin before Israel invaded the northern Gaza Strip,” and he “expressed his hope that the committee will succeed in its mission.” Al-Sayyid told Asharq Al-Awsat, “In light of the continued aggression, it will not be sufficient for the committee to rely on strong logical arguments, and there must be pressure tools to influence the targeted countries.”

For his part, Ambassador Rakha Ahmed Hassan, former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister, told Asharq Al-Awsat, “The committee is a diplomatic attempt to persuade countries with influence in the Security Council to take a decision to oblige Israel to a ceasefire,” expressing his hope that “ The committee succeeds in its endeavor and convinces the United States to pressure Tel Aviv to stop the aggression.”

As for Al-Aklouk, he stressed that “the Arab and Islamic countries have several pressure tools, especially since a number of these countries have diplomatic relations with Israel.”

However, Ahmed pointed out that “the committee is executive and not a decision-maker, as it was formed according to a decision from the Arab-Islamic summit, which means that any decisions for political or economic pressure must be approved by the summit first,” expressing his hope that “the committee will intend to Develop proposals in this regard if it deems it possible. Regarding the American position, he said, “In light of the clear American bias towards Israel, there is difficulty in convincing it to change its position,” but at the same time he stressed “the importance of working on that.”

The Arab Islamic Summit called on all countries to stop exporting weapons and ammunition to the occupation authorities that are used to kill the Palestinian people and destroy their capabilities and infrastructure, reiterating the commitment to peace as a strategic option, ending the Israeli occupation, and resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict in accordance with international law and the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy.

Here, Ambassador Al-Aklouk points out “the need to begin implementing the rest of the summit’s decisions, including the call to stop arms exports to Israel, and to use political and diplomatic pressure tools to achieve this.” He said, “There are about 350 dead in the war every day, including 150 children, and the death toll since the start of the aggression is approaching 12,000 dead, including nearly 5,000 children, which calls for speedy action.”