What did Palestinians in Gaza think of the outcome of the Arab, Muslim Summit? The Palestine Chronicle spoke with some of them.
An extraordinary joint summit of the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was held in Riyadh on Saturday.
The participants agreed that it is necessary to stop Israel’s military operations as soon as possible, organize the delivery of aid to the peaceful population, and create functioning security mechanisms.
But what did Palestinians in Gaza think of the outcome of the meeting? The Palestine Chronicle spoke with some of them.
‘Scent of Betrayal’
“The scent of betrayal is a putrid odor wafting in every corner of the Arab world. We don’t want condemnation or denunciation; we want actions to stop the war and halt the continuous crimes of the occupation in the Gaza Strip for the past 36 days,” said Talal Al-Taweel.
“Gaza needs an end to the war, not words,” expressed author, Hassan Al-Qatrawi.
“In the Arab Summit, they explain what is happening in Gaza, as if the world doesn’t know what is happening to us. What nonsense is this? Gaza needs an immediate cessation of the war and does not need all this expressive talk,” he added.
Haydar Ibrahim commented on the Arab Summit, saying, “One of the conditions for the victory of Gaza is that everyone abandons it, leaving us with only the one, all-powerful Lord. This war is revealing and exposing, especially those we thought were educated thinkers and influencers of public opinion. The war has revealed their true faces.”
Responding to the outcomes of the Arab Summit, Ibrahim Rabah stated, “We are still steadfast in Jabaliya camp; we will never leave it. We remain and will not budge. We will not leave our country. We will remain in the heart of Jabalia camp.”
Mu’taz Abdel-Ati, a resident of northern Gaza said, “Words no longer have any benefit; we want action. We want a real movement that opens the Rafah crossing, a move that allows the entry of urgent aid and saves the people of Gaza. We are tired of hearing words.”
Calls for Real Action
Rafeef Aziz said, “The Shifa Hospital has patients, wounded, medical staff, and displaced people. There are 39 infants who will die (three have already died – PC) in the neonatal intensive care unit. What are you waiting for, Arabs? Move immediately to stop the aggression. Please, move.”
Mohammed Hassan spoke about the outcomes of the Arab and Islamic summit, saying, “Record this, oh history. In Gaza, 39 infants are dying after the hospital’s fuel has run out. The Arabs’ lands are filled with oil. We swear to God that we will not forgive you, and we will not forget this betrayal.”
Shadi Abu Dia called on the people of Gaza, saying, “Don’t rely on anyone but Allah. We expected this from the Arab summit, people whose righteousness is not hoped for. We are tired of words of condemnation. Indeed, no good is expected from this summit.”
Ibada Mohammed said, “Adhering to resistance, relying on it, and bearing arms against the occupation to defend Gaza is better than all the Arab summits, which have produced nothing but statements of condemnation and denunciation.”
Alaa Madoukh, sarcastically, said, “As we expected, the Arab summit resulted in only words. All talk that means nothing to the people of Gaza. We’re tired of words. We want actions, Arabs, move, Muslims, move.”
Omeima Al-Ghaseen described the Arab summit by saying, “This is a pit, not a summit. Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs. Damn everyone who betrayed the people of Gaza, leaving them alone for 36 years under bombardment and destruction.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Abdallah Aljamal is a Gaza-based journalist. He is a contributor for The Palestine Chronicle from the Gaza Strip. His email is abdallahaljamal1987@gmail.com