First Arab summit in post-Abraham Accords era voices 'total support' for Palestine

Arab leaders vowed on Wednesday their "total support" for the Palestinian cause in the first Arab league since the Abraham Accords was signed between Israel and several Arab states two years ago. 

After two days of discussions in Algeria, member states affirmed in the summit's final declaration the "centrality of the Palestinian cause and our absolute support for the Palestinian people's inalienable rights". 

The statement also called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital and its right to become a full member of the United Nations.

However, the summit's final statement made no mention of the US-mediated Arab normalisation deals with Israel, known as the Abraham Accords, but the statement did note the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be resolved "on the basis of land for peace".

Since 2020, four Arab countries, namely UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan have normalised ties with Tel Aviv under Washington auspices - a step that was widely condemned by several Palestinian factions.

The summit's final declaration also voiced support for the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative that called for Israel's withdrawal from land it occupied in 1967, including the West Bank.

In a speech to the summit in Algeria, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called for more support from the 22-state bloc in the face of "crimes" by Israel, which he accuses of "systematically destroying the two-state solution and throwing away agreements it has signed".

Abbas also urged Arab leaders "to save the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre before they're Judaised," referring to key religious sites in the Israeli-occupied Old City of Jerusalem.

Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Israel would be committing "a grave error" if it stands in the way of a two-state solution, as Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza Strip and Palestinian citizens of Israel already form a majority throughout historical Palestine.

However, the summit's statement notably avoided directly mentioning the Israeli elections, which according to initial results look set to deliver a comeback by former premier and right-wing extremist Benyamin Netanyahu, who is notoriously against any support for a two-state solution.

For decades, the Arab League has been a forum for firm statements of solidarity with Palestine, though the bloc had so far little real impact in ending the Palestinians' struggle.

The Arab summit has also touched on conflicts across the region, as it expressed "support for efforts to end the Libyan crisis through an inter-Libyan solution" and "a joint effort" by Arab states to end fighting in Syria.

Tensions and divisions reigned supreme during the two-day Arab meeting, which was marked by the absence of high-profile Arab leaders.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI was the summit's most notable absentee, with a last-minute non-attendance decision due to the lack of appropriate reception of his foreign minister.

Saudi Crown Prince MBS, whose country will host the next summit, also did not attend with a reported ear infection.