Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, received on 11 November Mr. Ramiz Akbarov, Deputy Special Coordinator of the United Nations for the Middle East Peace Process and Humanitarian Coordinator, and Mr. Abdullah Al-Dardari, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States at the United Nations Development Programme, at the League’s headquarters.
Gamal Roshdy, the Secretary-General’s official spokesperson, stated that during the meeting, Mr. Aboul Gheit was keen to hear the assessments of the two senior UN officials regarding the situation in Gaza since the ceasefire of 10 October. While there has been some slight improvement in initial humanitarian conditions, significant difficulties persist, most notably Israel’s continued restrictive and controlling policies concerning the entry of materials it deems to have dual use. This includes a wide range of materials urgently needed in the Gaza Strip to address critical crises, particularly in the water and public health sectors.
Roshdy stated that the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States affirmed that consolidating the ceasefire requires continued pressure on the occupying power to lift its arbitrary restrictions, thereby enabling action to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation of the past two years, especially given that much essential aid remains stockpiled at the crossings, unable to enter the Gaza Strip.
Mr. Aboul Gheit listened to Mr. Akbarov’s assessment of the efforts required to begin restoring a minimum level of educational, health, and security services in the Gaza Strip, whose infrastructure has suffered near-total collapse during the two years of brutal war waged by the occupation.
The spokesperson added that the meeting included in-depth discussions on the importance of issuing a Security Council resolution that would allow for the transition to the second phase of the 20-point plan, enabling all parties to cooperate constructively. Mr. Aboul Gheit stressed that this resolution would be of great importance in determining the mandate of the international force to be formed, as it would define the legal framework governing its tasks and powers. The resolution must also be based on internationally agreed references regarding the peace process and reflect the political unity of Gaza and the West Bank, as they constitute one territory of the Palestinian state. This also requires a clear role for the Palestinian Authority in any future vision for managing the Strip.
