Final declaration released after Cairo’s Extraordinary Arab Summit on Palestine

Egypt hosted today an Extraordinary Arab Summit to discuss the critical developments in Gaza and the West Bank, after which a final declaration was released.

Key statements:

• “Peace is the Arabs’ Strategic Choice”: The summit reaffirmed that peace remains the strategic choice for Arab nations, based on the two-state solution.
• “Ceasefire as a Priority”: The statement stressed the urgency of fully enforcing the Gaza truce, which continues to face serious challenges.
• “International Engagement”: The Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee will coordinate efforts to present the plan to the international community.
• “Call for UN Peacekeeping Forces”: The summit urged the UN Security Council to deploy international peacekeeping forces in the West Bank and Gaza.
• “Opposition to Forced Displacement”: Arab leaders emphasized the need for a viable alternative to the forced displacement of the Palestinian people.

Below is the full text of Final Communiqué:

We, the leaders of Arab states, recognize the grave and critical phase our region is experiencing, particularly regarding the Palestinian issue, which remains central to the Arab world and to all nations and peoples committed to peace, justice, rights, and freedom. Affirming our unity in defending all Palestinian rights and continuing our support to end the historical injustice imposed upon the Palestinian people as a means to achieve just peace, we acknowledge and honor the Palestinian people’s extraordinary resilience over the past 15 months in the face of aggression and inhumane policies.

Recalling the resolutions of the Arab Summit held in Manama on May 16, 2024, and the "Bahrain Declaration," which emphasized our commitment to tolerance, coexistence, mutual respect among nations and peoples, interfaith and intercultural dialogue, and the promotion of global peace and stability, we reaffirm our call for the deployment of a United Nations international protection and peacekeeping force in the occupied Palestinian territories until the implementation of the two-state solution. Committed to solidarity and collective action in addressing exceptional challenges, we convened in Cairo on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in coordination with the presidency of the 33rd regular session of the Arab League Summit (the Kingdom of Bahrain), and at the request of the State of Palestine, to discuss the recent critical developments concerning the Palestinian cause.

Honoring the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and their commitment to their land, particularly following the historic return of Gaza residents to their homes in the northern sector after the announcement of the implementation of a ceasefire agreement, we pledge to continue implementing all previous resolutions adopted by the Arab League at the summit level regarding the Palestinian issue.

Accordingly, we determined the following:

1. Reaffirming our strategic choice for achieving a just and comprehensive peace that fulfills all Palestinian rights, particularly the right to freedom and an independent, sovereign state based on the two-state solution, with the right of return for Palestinian refugees. This peace must ensure security for all peoples and states in the region, including Israel, in accordance with the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which upholds Arab commitments to resolving all conflicts in the region through peaceful coexistence and cooperation. We reject all forms of violence, extremism, and terrorism that threaten security and stability and contradict humanitarian values and international law.

2. Intensifying cooperation with international and regional powers, including the United States, to achieve comprehensive and just peace in the region. We express our readiness for immediate engagement with the U.S. administration and all international partners to resume peace negotiations aimed at ending the Israeli occupation and establishing a sovereign Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. We call for an international conference to facilitate the establishment of a Palestinian state.

3. Rejecting any form of Palestinian displacement, whether within or beyond their land, under any pretext or justification. We regard such acts as severe violations of international law and crimes against humanity amounting to ethnic cleansing. We condemn policies of starvation and scorched-earth tactics aimed at forcing Palestinians from their land and emphasize Israel’s obligation as an occupying power to abide by international legal rulings prohibiting demographic changes in the Palestinian territories.

4. Condemning Israel’s recent decision to halt humanitarian aid to Gaza and close border crossings used for relief operations. Such measures violate the ceasefire agreement and international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention. We reject Israel's use of siege and starvation as political weapons.

5. Warning that any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians or annex occupied land will plunge the region into new conflicts, destabilize the region, and broaden the scope of hostilities. This would pose a direct threat to the foundations of Middle East peace and eliminate prospects for coexistence. We acknowledge the crucial role of Jordan and Egypt in countering the threats of displacement and the eradication of the Palestinian cause.

6. Approving Egypt’s comprehensive recovery and reconstruction plan for Gaza, developed in coordination with Palestine and other Arab nations, and based on studies by the World Bank and the UN Development Program. We call for full financial, material, and political support for this plan and urge international donors to contribute while ensuring parallel efforts to establish a permanent political framework for a just resolution to the Palestinian issue.

7. Prioritizing the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement, including its second and third phases, and ensuring all parties, particularly Israel, adhere to their commitments. This includes a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, including the Philadelphi Corridor, and guaranteeing the immediate and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid across the territory. We recognize the role played by the U.S. administration, Egypt, and Qatar in facilitating the ceasefire and hostage releases and urge further collaboration with the U.S. to implement a comprehensive roadmap for the Arab Peace Initiative.

8. Welcoming an international conference in Cairo at the earliest opportunity to support Gaza's recovery and reconstruction, in coordination with Palestine and the United Nations. We urge global participation to expedite rehabilitation efforts and propose the establishment of a trust fund for financial pledges to facilitate reconstruction projects.

9. Coordinating within the Joint Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee to conduct international diplomatic efforts explaining the Arab reconstruction plan for Gaza and reaffirming the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. We mandate Arab foreign ministers to mobilize diplomatic action at the UN and with key international stakeholders to counter efforts to dismantle the Palestinian cause and advocate for Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories, including Syria and Lebanon.

10. Supporting Palestine’s decision to form an interim Gaza administration under the Palestinian government, composed of competent Gaza-based officials, as a transitional step towards reinstating the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. We acknowledge Jordan and Egypt’s proposal to train Palestinian security forces to ensure law enforcement in Gaza under a unified Palestinian administration.

11. Calling on the UN Security Council to deploy international peacekeeping forces in the West Bank and Gaza to safeguard security for Palestinians and Israelis while advancing the prospects of Palestinian statehood.

12. Reaffirming support for UNRWA's indispensable role and calling on the international community to sustain its financial and political backing to prevent any attempts to dismantle or undermine the agency's mandate.

13. Demanding an end to Israeli aggression in the West Bank, including settlement expansion, home demolitions, land confiscation, military raids, and violations of religious sites. We categorically reject any attempts to internally displace Palestinians.

14. Endorsing the international legal pursuit of Israeli accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinian people, and supporting global legal actions to hold Israeli officials accountable.

15. Assigning the Arab League Secretary-General to oversee the implementation of these resolutions and report on progress at the next Arab Summit.

16. Expressing our gratitude to the Arab Republic of Egypt for hosting this extraordinary summit, held in coordination with the Kingdom of Bahrain and at the request of the State of Palestine.