Arab countries “are prepared to deal positively with the proposals of President Obama to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict,” they said in a statement after a meeting at Arab League headquarters in Cairo. They vowed to “take the necessary steps to support the American effort based on achieving comprehensive peace and the creation of a sovereign, independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.”
Obama has made relaunching the Middle East peace process a top priority, pledging a “new beginning” for Islam and America in a landmark speech to the world’s Muslims delivered in Cairo earlier this month.
He has also bluntly called for Israel to halt settlement activity on Palestinian land while urging Arabs to move closer to making peace with Israel.
The Arab ministers in Cairo did not spell out the steps they planned to take but said that in order to normalise relations with Israel, the Jewish state “must put a complete stop to settlement activity including in east Jerusalem.”
Arab League chief Amr Moussa said Arabs were prepared to reconsider dealing with Israel “because there is now an American administration which has since day one expressed its seriousness in ending the Arab-Israeli conflict.
“This therefore requires us to move seriously and to take international positions in consideration,” Moussa told a news conference after the talks.
“We give importance to the serious and balanced proposal put forward by President Obama” although “we consider statements by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu as unacceptable.”
