Arabi: U.S. Should Play Proactive Role in Mideast

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi on Saturday called on U.S. President Barack Obama to be proactive in ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his forthcoming term.

"We hope that the new American administration adopts a policy of conflict resolution rather than conflict management," Arabi said during a visit with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr to the West Bank headquarters of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

Arabi said that in the four-hour meeting with Abbas they discussed the Arab League's promise to provide an economic "safety net" of $100 million (75 million euros) a month to alleviate Israeli sanctions imposed after last month's historic United Nations vote to raise the Palestinians' diplomatic standing.

"We discussed the financial and political support for the Palestinian Authority and the Arab safety net under which 100 U.S. dollars had to be provided monthly, but were not delivered," he said.

He said the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority was undergoing a "crippling" financial crisis and that he and the Palestinian leader had agreed ways to tackle the problem, but he did not elaborate.

Other Arab foreign ministers are due to visit Ramallah "in the coming days and weeks," Arabi said.

On December 2, Israel said it would this month withhold tax and tariff funds it collects for the Palestinians this month

Usually Israel transfers about 460 million shekels monthly ($120 million, 92.7 million euros) in customs duties on goods destined for Palestinian markets that transit through Israeli ports, and which constitute a large percentage of the Palestinian budget.

The transfers are governed by the 1994 Paris Protocols with the Palestinians.

Al-Arabi said that in the wake of the U.N. vote, he and Abbas also discussed "joint Arab political steps that should be taken after Palestine secured non-member state representation at the United Nations, in order to implement Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian land occupied since 1967."

He did not give details but added that the Palestinian issue would "return to the Security Council with full support from Arab countries and in agreement with European Union nations."

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Saturday received a first shipment of building materials across the border with Egypt, donated by gas-rich Qatar which has said it would invest $400 (300 million euros) in rebuilding Gaza.

The coastal enclave sustained major damage in a 22-day Israeli military operation that began in late December 2008.

Palestinian officials said a convoy of lorries carrying 800 tonnes of aggregate for road building passed through the Rafah border terminal, the only land crossing between Gaza and the outside world not dependent on Israel, which also maintains an air and sea blockade.

Comments 5
Missing phillipo 29 December 2012, 17:27

"Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi arrived in Ramallah on Saturday for a visit to the West Bank.Arabi would be joined by 10 Arab foreign ministers."
If al-Arabi and the 10 Arab foreign ministers were really intyerested in trying to bring about peace between Palestine and Israel, they would be going to Israel on Sunday.
All the time they are talking only to one side of the equation, then their efforts are worthless.

Missing phillipo 29 December 2012, 18:33

Let us assume that what you say about the PA going bankrupt. Do you honestly believe that Netanyahu is willing to risk having to pay millions and millions of $'s per month to keep the economy there floating, at the expense of the Israeli economy? Even I who quite often doesn't understand Netanyahu's line of thinking don't think so.
Where did you get that 66% figure from? The poll that took in 550 people out of a population of 7,500,000 million ?
Sitting down at the negotiation table = stop settlement building.

Missing phillipo 29 December 2012, 19:06

I forgot to ask. Does your "no" also mean that you don't want a role for the Arab League and the Arab States in any possible peace treaty.

Missing phillipo 29 December 2012, 19:25

OK so they offered (?) a peace proposal in 2002, talking in an Arab capital where Israel of course was not represented.
Don't you think that if they have a plan, the sensible thing to do is to go with it to the other side instead of just publishing it in declarations?

Missing phillipo 29 December 2012, 19:28

anonymetexasusa - with you in the US, would an elctricity corporation for example allow a state / city or whatever to owe it $500 million before putting a lien on money owed to it? I very much doubt it, but when Israel does it, you claim that it is wrong.