Israel pursues perpetual war and territorial encroachment agenda, with no vision for peace: Aboul Gheit before the Security Council

Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, participated on 28 April in the Security Council open debate held at United Nations Headquarters in New York on the situation in the Middle East.

In his address, he noted that the Arab region is currently experiencing an exceptionally tense situation due to the ongoing war and its adverse repercussions, explaining that Arab States did not call for war or military confrontation, but rather sought to avoid it.

Nevertheless, they have not been spared a wave of unjustified and unlawful Iranian attacks.

Gamal Roshdy, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, stated that Mr. Aboul Gheit further stated that the grave crisis facing the Arab region should not divert the world’s attention from a principal and enduring cause of instability in the Middle East, namely the continued Israeli occupation of Palestine and other Arab territories.

He explained that Israel has adopted a policy of “perpetual war” aimed at sustaining military confrontation across multiple fronts and intensifying it through provocative measures, including the incremental encroachment upon land in several neighbouring Arab states under the pretext of security, alongside the implementation of settlement plans in the West Bank that are unprecedented in their violence, expansion, and coercion.

He added that Israel has also sought to undermine stability in the Horn of Africa by assaulting the territorial integrity of Somalia and recognising a secessionist entity in violation of Security Council resolutions and the rules of international law.

Roshdy further conveyed that Mr. Aboul Gheit affirmed that the Israeli settler government lacks any genuine vision for peace and has no viable plan for peaceful coexistence in the region, representing a grave threat to regional stability, as its sole agenda is one of “perpetual conflict.” He noted that Israel has not adhered to the ceasefire agreement or to President Trump’s plan for peace in Gaza, but has instead escalated its attacks against civilians in the Strip and accelerated its settlement project in the West Bank.

The Spokesperson added that Mr. Aboul Gheit’s intervention reaffirmed the League of Arab States’ position in support of the role of UNRWA, noting that the Palestinian people have borne the cost of this brutal war in their blood and resources, and that, were it not for their extraordinary resilience in devising means to sustain at least minimal educational and health services amid the devastation, the situation would have been far worse.

In concluding his remarks, Mr. Aboul Gheit addressed the situation in Lebanon, asserting the need for a comprehensive and reciprocal cessation of hostilities and the achievement of a full Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory, as a prelude to the return of displaced persons to their villages, which have been destroyed by the occupation to render them uninhabitable.

He reaffirmed the League of Arab States’ support for the Government of Lebanon and its courageous efforts to restore the authority of legitimate institutions over decisions of war and peace.

Unofficial translation