Arab summit supports Palestinians, calls for political solution in Syria

ALGIERS, Algeria

The Algeria-hosted Arab summit on Wednesday reiterated support to the Palestinian people and called for a political solution to the Syrian conflict.

In a final communique issued at the end of their two-day summit, Arab leaders emphasized on the centrality of the Palestinian cause and their absolute support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

The leaders underscored that they stick to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offers Israel full diplomatic recognition from the Arab states in return for an Israeli withdrawal from Arab land occupied in 1967 and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

They also stressed the need to protect the city of Jerusalem and its holy sites against Israeli violations.

The final statement, dubbed the “Algeria Declaration”, also reiterated support to Palestine’s efforts to seek to obtain full UN membership.

The Arab leaders also voiced full solidarity with the Libyan people and efforts aimed at ending the Libyan crisis.

The statement also emphasized support to the legitimate Yemeni government and called for Arab collective efforts to reach a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

The Algeria-hosted Arab summit was the first to be held in three years since 2019 due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The next Arab summit will be held in Saudi Arabia.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report