The Palestinian cause has been a constant focus of Arab summits and has remained a permanent issue on their agendas, given its political and popular priority in the Arab conscience. It has maintained its position as a central issue, reflecting Arab consensus and the concerns of Arab leaders, amid ongoing positions and efforts that support the rights of the Palestinian people and condemn the practices of the Israeli occupation, including settlement activity, Judaization, and forced displacement.
Amid the escalating Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the accompanying widespread humanitarian violations, the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, is preparing to host the 34th Arab League Summit on May 17. This comes at a time when the Arab region is facing increasing challenges at the political, economic, and security levels.
This summit comes more than two months after the Extraordinary Arab Summit in Cairo, which was devoted to discussing developments in the Palestinian issue, including formulating a unified Arab position, rejecting attempts at forced displacement, and calling for urgent international action to support the reconstruction of Gaza, halt the aggression, and ensure Palestinians' continued presence on their land.
The Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, has reneged on its commitments agreed upon in the first phase of the prisoner exchange under the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, along with the resumption of hostilities and the use of food blockade against people in the Strip. This has further complicated efforts to reach a solution that would end the war and the grave humanitarian tragedy that has been ongoing in the Strip since October 2023.
The upcoming Arab summit is of significance, given the urgent need to formulate a unified Arab position to confront the Israeli escalation. It also seeks to leverage international pressure to halt the aggression on the Gaza Strip and ensure the implementation of previous agreements, while emphasizing the need to pursue a comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian issue.
Many important strategic decisions have been taken in the past, embodying Arab solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Since the founding of the League of Arab States in 1945, and over the course of more than eight decades, 45 Arab summits have been held, including 33 ordinary summits. Despite the challenges facing the region, the Palestinian issue has remained a top priority for Arab leaders and has been a central focus of their positions and decisions. The Arab League has always been a champion of defending the independence and security of Arab states.
In this context, the emergency Inshas Summit, held in May 1946 in Egypt, was a turning point, as it was the first Arab summit convened to support the Palestinian cause. One of its most important decisions was to affirm the Arab identity of Palestine and the interconnectedness of its fate with the fate of all Arab states.
Moreover, in the context of the rapid developments at that time, the Second Regular Arab Summit was held in September 1964 in Alexandria, where a crucial decision was made to hold an annual summit and to strengthen Arab defense capabilities. This conference was distinguished by the recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, which strengthened its position in the Arab and international worlds.
Following that was the summit hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco in Casablanca in 1965, which played a pivotal role in approving and adhering to the Charter of Arab Solidarity, supporting the Palestinian cause in all international forums, and emphasizing the importance of disarmament, preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and resolving international disputes through peaceful means.
Following the 1967 war, the 4th regular Arab summit was held in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, in August of the same year. The summit emphasized the importance of Arab unity and issued a resolution containing "three Nos": no peace with Israel, no negotiations with it, no recognition of it, besides working to eliminate the effects of Israeli aggression on the occupied Arab territories.
Following the October 1973 War, the 6th Regular Arab Summit convened in Algeria in November of the same year to discuss the restoration of the Egyptian Sinai and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. A ceasefire was agreed upon on 24 of the same month, demonstrating the centrality of the Palestinian issue to the Arab conscience and the actions of the leaders' summits. The summit called for an Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem, and for the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate national rights.
In the same context, the 7th Regular Arab Summit, held in Rabat in October 1974, affirmed the necessity of restoring the Arab territories occupied in the June 1967 aggression, while rejecting any settlement that would undermine Arab sovereignty over Jerusalem. Furthermore, the Palestine Liberation Organization was recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
On November 2, 1978, the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, hosted the 9th Arab Summit, where support for the Palestine Liberation Organization was reaffirmed and the Arab position in support of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people was emphasized.
The following year, Tunisia hosted the 10th regular Arab Summit in November 1979, where Arab leaders reaffirmed their full commitment to supporting the Palestinian cause. They also emphasized the importance of strengthening relations with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the Organization of African Unity, the Non-Aligned Movement, and other organizations, with the aim of expanding international support for Arab positions.
In line with the political efforts at the time, the Moroccan summit in Fez in September 1982 witnessed the approval of the Fahd Peace Initiative, which stipulated Israel's withdrawal from all Arab territories occupied in 1967, the removal of Israeli settlements in these territories, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. It also affirmed the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and compensation for those who did not wish to return.
In a related context, an emergency Arab summit convened in Jordan in November 1987, reaffirming the commitment to recovering all occupied Arab territories, foremost among them Jerusalem, as the basis for any just peace settlement. The summit also emphasized the importance of building Arab self-reliance to confront mounting political and security challenges.
As part of efforts to support Palestinians, the Algiers Summit was held on Jun. 7, 1988, where the Palestinian Intifada topped the agenda of Arab leaders. The summit emphasized support for the Intifada, strengthening its effectiveness, and ensuring its continuity, in addition to calling for an international peace conference in the Middle East under the auspices of the United Nations.
In the context of the ongoing Arab political momentum, the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, hosted the Arab Summit in May 1990, where Arab leaders renewed their support for the Palestinian Intifada, stressing the need for continued support.
The summit also condemned the displacement of Palestinians, deemed Israeli settlements illegal under international law.
Amid escalating tensions on the ground, an emergency Arab summit was held in Cairo in October 2000, known as the Al Aqsa Summit, following the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque by former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the subsequent violence.
The summit approved the establishment of the Jerusalem Intifada Fund capitalized with $200 million to support the families of martyrs and the wounded, in addition to the establishment of the Al Aqsa Fund with a capital of $800 million to strengthen the Palestinian economy, along with a decision taken to allow Palestinian goods to enter Arab markets without restrictions.
As part of political initiatives aimed at achieving a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue, the Lebanese capital, Beirut, hosted the 14th Ordinary Arab Summit in March 2002, where it adopted the Arab Peace Initiative proposed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The summit also decided to support the Palestinian National Authority's budget with $330 million for a renewable period of six months, while calling for an additional $150 million in support for the Al Aqsa and Jerusalem Intifada funds to finance development projects within the Palestinian territories.
