Gaza ceasefire must remain top priority at emergency Arab summit

Justice for peace

Second, the summit must also look beyond dealing with the present tragedy. It should provide a vision for peace and stability in the region. And that will not be possible without comprehensive peace in which the interests of all regional parties are factored in.

The "Land for Peace" principle that has underpinned past efforts to achieve peace in the region is no longer enough. This may have been enough for Arab neighbours of Israel, but certainly not for the Palestinian people. Developments over the past years, and particularly the latest tragedy in Gaza, require that the guiding principle be "Justice for Peace".

This would mean full respect and balanced application of international law. First and foremost, the Palestinians should exercise their inalienable right of self-determination and establish a viable state of their own. Second, Israel should withdraw from all Arab territories it occupies.

To this end, an updated international framework for comprehensive peace is needed. The principles and parameters of such a settlement will need to be ironed out and implemented at a late stage once Israel ceases its brutal campaign on Gaza.

The Palestinian and Israeli leadership will need the active support of the international community to reach such an agreement.

An effective Palestinian leadership needs to be empowered to deliver the aspirations of the Palestinian people, which requires not only supporting the Palestinian Authority but also preventing Israel from undermining it.

Israelis will also have to decide on the kind of state they wish to live in and accordingly choose the kind of government that will deliver it. What the recent events in Gaza have demonstrated to the Israelis is that their military might, buttressed with their technological prowess, is not enough to guarantee their security.

Updated international framework

Agreement on an updated international framework for peace in the Middle East should not be complicated as a matter of principle. The Security Council and the Middle East Quartet have already issued numerous documents on this topic. All have been supported by the five permanent members, including the United States.

In this regard, the summit might find it helpful to adopt a road map comprising three consecutive and interlinked steps:

• An immediate and sustained ceasefire

• Provision of urgent and substantial humanitarian aid.

• The implementation of concrete measures to foster hope for Palestinians both in Gaza and the West Bank.

To this end, there should be no decoupling of the fate of Gaza from that of the West Bank. The day after in Gaza is organically linked to the West Bank. Gaza and the West Bank should be dealt with in equal measure with the ultimate objective of ensuring progress towards establishing a Palestinian state.

Such measures could include providing international protection to Palestinians both in Gaza and the West Bank, a halt to all settlement activities, and, as a first step, transferring area B (22%), where the PA administers only civil matters, to area A (18%), where the Palestinian Authority (PA) administers civil and security matters.

The articulation of a vision for the future of the Middle East with the endorsement of an updated framework for comprehensive peace by the Security Council should include:

• The principle of land for peace, as stipulated in Resolution 242.

• A commitment to implement a two-state solution. The Security Council previously endorsed the idea in 2002 with Resolution 1397.

• The normalisation of relations between the Arab states and Israel as stipulated in the Arab Peace Plan of 2002, which the Middle East Quartet  — which includes the United States — endorsed as far back as 2003.

• Establishing a "regional security system"  that meets the concerns of all parties. This must be inclusive and comprehensive, not a politico-military arrangement directed at any regional party.

• Holding an international peace conference (which the European Union has recently endorsed ( 26/11/2023).

Arab countries must refuse to discuss day-after scenarios for Gaza until Israeli military action comes to a complete halt.

They should also pursue their vision both at the United Nations and bilaterally at the international level and work on mobilising global public opinion to support the Palestinians.