Arab League calls for Security Council meeting over ‘dangerous escalation’ in IDF’s Gaza operation

“The continued attacks on Palestinian civilians by Israel is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, says Arab League secretary-general.

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON
Abbas at Arab League summit (photo credit: REUTERS)
Abbas at Arab League summit
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday over the “dangerous Israeli escalation” in Gaza.
Arabi “instructed the Arab League’s UN representative to initiate urgent consultations within the Arab group [in the UN] calling for an emergency security meeting of the Security Council,” an official from the League told AFP.
Arabi said he was “in touch with [Palestinian Authority] President [Mahmoud] Abbas to follow the latest developments in the Gaza Strip.
“The continued attacks on Palestinian civilians by Israel is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Convention and international resolutions on occupied Palestine,” he said.
Meanwhile, Egypt Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdel Aty denounced Israel’s raids on Gaza on Tuesday, but the country nevertheless kept its Rafah border crossing with the Strip closed for the sixth day in a row, the Mada Masr website reported.
On Wednesday, Cairo announced that it will open the crossing for a limited time (two hours) to allow a limited number of wounded Gazans to receive medical care in Egypt.
The decision to keep the crossing closed for most purposes is political, not military, an unnamed official in the army’s spokesman’s office told the website.
“There is no anger on the border between Egypt and Gaza,” he said, adding that the army is aware of “what is happening to people in Gaza.”
Egypt’s presidential office announced that many phone calls with concerned parties are being made to protect Palestinian civilians from Israeli strikes, Aswat Masriya reported.
Tehran condemned Israel’s intensified attacks on Gaza on Tuesday, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham saying “The savage aggressions and killing of the defenseless people” was “started on the false pretext of [the] abduction of three Israeli settlers and have continued for more than two weeks now,” Iran’s Fars News Agency reported.
Afkham praised the “resistance” of the people of Gaza against “these savage actions.”
The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called for an end to Israel’s military operation, calling it “mass punishment,” the Istanbul- based newspaper Today’s Zaman reported. The ministry said that the attacks will result in “rightful outrage” against Israel.
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad condemned “Zionist aggression” and voiced support for the Palestinians in their “heroic steadfastness,” the Syrian Arab News Agency reported. His comments were made in a meeting with a PLO delegation headed by Executive Committee member Ahmed Majdalani.