Arabs say no to Israel as Jewish state

CAIRO — Arab foreign ministers on Sunday rejected Israel’s demands that the Palestinians recognise it as a Jewish state, saying such a move would undermine the rights of Palestinian refugees.

In a resolution released at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo, the foreign ministers called the issue of Palestinian refugees an integral part of a comprehensive and just peace. It blamed Israel for the floundering of peace negotiations, The Associated Press reported.

The Arab statement offers strong backing to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who said publicly last week he will never recognise Israel as a Jewish state despite facing strong international pressure. Abbas did not identify who is pressuring him.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week the Palestinians must recognise Israel as a Jewish state to show they are serious about peace. It was the latest sign that despite seven months of mediation efforts by US Secretary of State John Kerry, wide gaps remain between the two sides.

Abbas is due to meet US President Barack Obama in Washington on March 17, as part of US efforts to press both sides. Abbas has said that the Palestine Liberation Organisation recognised the state of Israel in 1993 and that this is sufficient.

The seven-page Arab resolution on the Palestinian issue said it rejects “the demand by Israel and some international parties to identify Israel as a Jewish state, which aims to annul the right of return and compensation for Palestinian refugees”.

It also called for efforts to convene an international conference to address the Palestinian issue, and a re-evaluation of the role of international mediators known as the Quartet, in light of their “failure to make any achievement in realising just and comprehensive peace”.

Arab League chief Nabil El Araby urged Arab countries during the opening session of the meeting to take a “firm stand” against the Israeli demand, calling it a deviation from an agreed-upon framework for peace talks.

“This is a deviation from the international resolutions agreed upon as a basis for the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, which requires a firm Arab stand to... re-evaluate the negotiation track as a whole, and to strongly express definite Arab rejection of this serious turn,” he told the opening session of the meeting.

The issue is to be followed up at an upcoming Arab leaders’ summit in Kuwait in the final week of March.

Judeh’s remarks

Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, who led the Kingdom’s delegation to the Arab League meeting, said the Palestinian issue remains the central cause for the Arabs and for Jordan, asserting the Kingdom’s position in support of the Palestinian people in their efforts to translate the two-state solution into reality, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Under the two-state solution, an independent and sovereign Palestinian state should be set within the pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital, under current negotiations, he added.  

The official expressed hope that current US efforts would lead to the setting up of a Palestinian state in a manner that safeguards Jordan’s higher interest, pertaining to key issues, especially the question of the refugees and the fate of Jerusalem. 

Judeh pointed out that Jordan is the largest host country of Palestinian refugees and His Majesty King Abdullah is the custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem, and has been working to safeguard and preserve the Islamic and Christian sites there, highlighting the historic agreement that was signed between the King and Abbas in March 2013.

Meanwhile, he voiced appreciation for Arab states’ support to Jordan’s successful bid to obtain a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for 2014-15 term, stressing that Jordan, during its membership, will work to safeguard Arab interests and defend Arab causes.