{"id":29277,"date":"2025-05-18T00:02:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T21:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=29277"},"modified":"2025-05-18T00:38:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T21:38:02","slug":"34th-arab-league-summit-in-iraq-dominates-israels-war-on-gaza-and-syria-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/34th-arab-league-summit-in-iraq-dominates-israels-war-on-gaza-and-syria-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"34th Arab League Summit in Iraq dominates Israel\u2019s war on Gaza and Syria issue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

7 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 34th Arab League Summit commenced on May 17, 2025, in Iraq\u2019s capital, Baghdad. The humanitarian catastrophe and Israel\u2019s unprecedented attack on Gaza are taking top priority on the agenda.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaders and top officials from the 22 Arab League member states arrived for the high-stakes gathering, which also comes amid intensified geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Held at the Republican Palace inside Baghdad\u2019s heavily fortified Green Zone, the summit marks Iraq\u2019s return to a central role in regional diplomacy after more than a decade. This is the fourth time Iraq has hosted the summit since the Arab League’s founding and the first since 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The summit follows the fall of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and the ascent of his successor, Ahmad Al Sharaa, as well as the recent announcement from the United States regarding the lifting of sanctions on Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Baghdad declaration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Baghdad Declaration, adopted after the 34th Arab League Summit, reaffirmed the Arab states\u2019 firm support for Syria\u2019s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity as essential pillars of regional stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The declaration categorically rejected all forms of external interference in Syria\u2019s internal affairs and condemned continued Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, which it described as violations of sovereignty aimed at undermining Syria\u2019s national capabilities. It called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to take decisive action to halt such violations and uphold international law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the declaration welcomed recent international steps to ease Syria\u2019s isolation. Arab leaders praised U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to lift sanctions on Syria and expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for facilitating this shift. The easing of European sanctions was also acknowledged as a step toward enabling Syria\u2019s recovery, reconstruction, and the dignified return of refugees.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Iraqi<\/a>
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani at the fifth session of the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit held in Baghdad on May 17, 2025. (Image Credit: Iraqi Prime Minister’s Media Office\/via X)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The declaration further urged the initiation of a comprehensive national dialogue that includes all Syrian factions, laying the foundation for a political transition that preserves societal diversity, respects all religious and cultural components, and fosters long-term peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Gaza dominates talks as death toll mounts.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza emerged as the most pressing issue. Since October 7, 2023, Israel\u2019s operations have resulted in the deaths of over 53,000 Palestinians, many of whom are women and children, in what Arab leaders have increasingly described as a genocide. Entire neighborhoods have been flattened, infrastructure decimated, and nearly the entire population displaced or left in dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the summit\u2019s opening session, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid issued a strong denunciation of the violence, calling it \u201congoing Israeli aggression.\u201d He warned against any forced displacement of Palestinians and insisted that \u201cour shared Arab security cannot be fragmented.\u201d His statement was echoed by Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani, who emphasized his country\u2019s commitment to ceasefire efforts and Gaza\u2019s reconstruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres also attended the Summit of the League of Arab States in Baghdad and raised serious concerns about the situation in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. On the resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict, he emphasized, \u201cA two-State solution \u2013 Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States \u2013 is not just a vision. It is a necessity. That goal has never been more imperative \u2013 but unfortunately also never more distant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation for Palestinians in Gaza is beyond description, beyond atrocious & beyond inhumane.

A policy of siege & starvation makes a mockery of international law. The blockade against humanitarian aid must end immediately.

This is a moment for moral clarity & action. pic.twitter.com\/ZsIzwo4tdp<\/a><\/p>— Ant\u00f3nio Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 17, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>