‘The siege must end and the Arab League’s stance on this is very clear,’ said the body’s Secretary-General Amr Moussa yesterday.
Speaking as he entered Gaza for his first official visit to the Strip, Moussa told reporters upon his arrival through the southern Rafah crossing: ‘The whole world supports the Palestinian people against the siege of Gaza and other practices in Palestine, particularly in Jerusalem.’
Calling for Palestinian unity, Moussa said. ‘Reconciliation is a necessity, and it needs willingness rather than the signing of documents.
‘It is a policy and attitude which ends in agreement on all topics . . . this willingness is what history is dependent on.’
The Arab League Secretary-General said he had been ‘eager to set foot on Palestinian land and meet Palestinians, regardless of their affiliation, because they all represent, particularly in Gaza, steadfastness in the face of the siege’.
He continued: ‘I am here to greet the Palestinian people and see them united and unwilling to become a tool used by any side.’
The official was scheduled to meet with leaders of Palestinian factions, as well as Gaza government Prime Minister Ismail Haniya at the premier’s home in the Ash-Shati refugee camp.
Moussa’s visit was first in his official capacity as Arab League Secretary-General, though he had previously visited the Strip during the presidency of Yasser Arafat.
Several Gaza government ministers received Moussa upon his arrival in an Egyptian car escorted by Egyptian security, as he began a 12-hour tour of the coastal enclave, which included a visit to bereaved families and areas still in need of reconstruction after Israel’s Operation Cast Lead.
• Saudi Arabia on Saturday denied reports in the British press that it had given Israel an air corridor to bomb Iran, stating that the Saudi policy is clear in this context.
The kingdom emphasised that Saudi Arabia won’t be a passageway to bomb Iran.
However, ‘Saudi Arabia has practised standing down its anti-aircraft systems to allow Israeli warplanes passage on their way to attack Iran’s nuclear installations,’ The Times newspaper reported.
It quoting an unnamed US defence official as saying: ‘The Saudis have allocated a narrow corridor of airspace in the north of the country that would cut flying time from Israel to Iran.
‘The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way.
‘They have already done tests to make sure their own jets aren’t scrambled and no one gets shot down.
This has all been done with the agreement of the (US) State Department.’
