Ministers from the member states of the Arab League have accused Israel of purposefully attempting to destroy the Palestinian economy.
The ministers, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Amr, gathered at the Arab League on Sunday. They discussed the Palestinian economy, the Syrian crisis and the postponement of a conference to rid the Middle East of nuclear weapons.
Following the meeting the Arab League published the resolutions that were agreed upon by the ministers. The resolution on Palestine condemned Israel “for blocking Palestinian funds” and “all procedures aimed to destroy [the Palestinian] economy.”
The resolution accused Israel of withholding tax revenues from the Palestinian authorities saying that this money “constitutes an essential pillar of the Palestinian economy.”
It also warned of the possibility of the complete collapse of the economy due to “the tense financial situation and the inability to secure public sector salaries which directly harms millions of Palestinian citizens.”
The resolution called on the international community to “take immediate action to force Israel to release the tax revenues… that has led to the deprivation of more than a million Palestinians for daily sustenance, which is crime against humanity.”
The ministers also called on all Arab nations to implement an initiative to provide the State of Palestine with $100m per month as a financial safety net. The initiative was announced in December at the Arab Peace Initiative meeting in Doha.
The Arab League published two other resolutions that were agreed in the meeting. On the Syrian crisis the ministers “expressed grave concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation” in the country. They also commended Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq for their efforts in providing relief for those displaced by the conflict.
The third and final resolution from the meeting outlined the league’s stance on the postponement of a conference to rid the Middle East of Nuclear weapons. The ministers reiterated “that the postponement of the 2012 conference is a violation of the organiser’s obligations” and called on the organisers to set a date.
The conference was due to be held in 2012 but was postponed by the United Kingdom, United States, United Nations and Russia. The reason given for postponing the conference was because not all the countries in the region had agreed to attend.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil El-Araby both blamed the postponement on Israel, saying that it had been un-cooperative.
