The annual summit of the Arab League has begun in Baghdad, with Israel’s war on Gaza dominating the talks, alongside other regional crises.
Saturday’s talks in the Iraqi capital come only a day after United States President Donald Trump completed his Middle East tour, triggering hopes of a ceasefire and the renewal of aid delivery to Gaza.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was the first Arab leader to arrive in Baghdad on Friday. But a diplomatic source told the AFP news agency that most Gulf countries are being represented at the summit at a ministerial level.
In his opening speech at the 34th Arab Summit, Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said: “This genocide [in Gaza] has reached a level of ugliness unparalleled in all conflicts in history.”
Iraq backs the creation of an “Arab fund to support reconstruction efforts” after crises in the region, Sudani told the summit. Iraq will contribute $20m to the reconstruction of Gaza and $20m for the reconstruction of Lebanon, he added.
The Iraqi prime minister also said Baghdad rejects “the forced displacement of Palestinians”, calling for an end to “the massacres in Gaza, the attacks on the West Bank and the occupied territories”.
“We have called, and continue to call, for serious and responsible Arab action to save Gaza and reactivate the UNRWA,” he added.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez – who have sharply criticised Israel’s genocide in Gaza – were also guests at the summit.
“We need a permanent ceasefire now, the unconditional release of the hostages now, and the free flow of humanitarian aid ending the blockade now,” Guterres said.
Spain’s Sanchez said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza must end “immediately and without delay”.
“Palestine and Spain are working on a new draft to be presented to the United Nations, where we are demanding Israel to end the unjust humanitarian siege laid to Gaza and to allow for the unconditional delivery of relief aid into Gaza”, he said.
He also said there must be “more pressure on Israel to end the carnage unfolding in Gaza by all the conceivable means, namely the tools available under the international law.”
“And here, I would like to announce that Spain will present a proposal to the General Assembly for the International Criminal Court to examine Israel’s compliance with the delivery of relief aid into Gaza,” the Spanish prime minister added.
In March, Israel ended a ceasefire reached with Hamas in January, renewing deadly attacks across Gaza and forcing a blockade of food and other essential items. In recent days, Israel has intensified its offensive, as tens of thousands of Palestinians are forced to starve.
At a preparatory meeting of the Arab League summit, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said they will try to endorse decisions that were made at their meeting in Cairo in March to support Gaza’s reconstruction as an alternative to Trump’s widely condemned proposal to take over the enclave.
During his visit to Qatar, Trump on Thursday reiterated that he wanted the US to “take” Gaza and turn it into a “freedom zone”. Earlier this year, he caused an uproar by declaring that the US would turn Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East”, prompting Arab leaders to come up with a plan to rebuild the territory, at a summit in Cairo.
The Arab plan for Gaza proposes rebuilding the Palestinian enclave without displacing its 2.4 million residents.
Syria and Iran also on agenda?
Besides Gaza, Arab officials are also expected to discuss Syria, which only six months ago entered a new chapter in its history after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
Earlier this week, Trump in Riyadh met Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose group spearheaded the offensive that toppled al-Assad last December. Prior to their meeting, he also announced that US sanctions on Syria will be lifted in a huge boost to the government in Damascus.
Al-Sharaa, who was imprisoned for years in Iraq on charges of belonging to al-Qaeda following the 2003 US-led invasion, will, however, miss Baghdad’s summit after several powerful Iraqi politicians voiced opposition to his visit.
The Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani is representing Damascus instead.
Saturday’s summit also comes amid Iran’s ongoing nuclear talks with the US.
Trump has pursued diplomacy with Iran as he seeks to stave off a threatened military strike by Israel on Iran, a desire shared by many of the region’s leaders.
On Thursday, Trump said a deal was “getting close”, but by Friday, he was warning that “something bad is going to happen” if the Iranians do not move fast.
Iraq has only recently regained a semblance of normalcy after decades of devastating conflict and turmoil, and its leaders view the summit as an opportunity to project an image of stability.
Reporting from Baghdad, Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed said the summit was “very crucial” for Iraq.
“This is the first time the summit has been held in Iraq since 2012 and Iraq takes it as a credit to regain its rule as a player to bridge the gap between member states of the Arab League,” he said.
