King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, announced here Monday a $1 billion donation for the reconstruction of Gaza battered by a deadly Israeli offensive, and issued a warning to the Jewish state that the Arab peace initiative would not remain on the table forever. In an unscheduled speech at the opening of the ‘Summit of Solidarity with Gaza' here today, King Abdullah also made an impassioned appeal to Arab nations to rise above their differences and announced on their behalf that they have surpassed “the stage of disagreement, opening the door for brotherhood and unity for all Arabs without exception or reservation.” Following the opening speeches, King Abdullah held a closed-door meeting with the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, during which the reconciliation was reached. Sharp disagreements have hampered the Arab response to Israel's 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 1,250 Palestinians, devastated the infrastructure of the coastal Palestinian enclave and created a humanitarian crisis unprecedented in recent times. The split was highlighted after Qatar hosted an Arab summit on Friday that did not meet the required quorum to qualify as an Arab League summit. The summit, attended by Syria and Hamas, sought confrontational action against Israel even as the other Arab countries which did not attend, including Saudi Arabia, preferred the internationally backed Egyptian approach that saw separate ceasefires announced on Sunday by Israel and the Hamas rulers of Gaza. Seventeen Arab heads of state are attending the two-day summit while another five countries are represented at senior official level. King Abdullah in his speech warned Israel that the Arab peace initiative would not last forever. “Israel has to understand that the choice between war and peace will not always stay open and that the Arab peace initiative that is on the table today will not stay on the table,” said Abdullah during a speech. The initiative, which was first proposed by Saudi Arabia in 2002 and relaunched in March 2007, offers Israel collective Arab recognition in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from territory it occupied in the 1967 war, the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and a just solution for the problem of Palestinian refugees. Israel initially rejected the initiative in 2002, but in the past year has said it could be a starting point for discussion. King Abdullah's announcement of $1 billion for Gaza “on behalf of the Saudi people' would make up half of a $2-billion Gaza reconstruction fund that the Arab leaders are tipped to approve. Qatar last week suggested separately the establishment of a fund for Gaza and donated $250 million. The summit opened with conflicting stands taken by the scheduled speakers and though they all called for Arab unity, it appeared that there would be no closing the divide. The turning point came when King Abdullah took the stage and made a sincere and heartfelt appeal to the Arab leaders to overcome and “stand tall.” “Today we honor the martyrs of Gaza. We salute the heroes and their endurance and value all those who strove to put an end to the bleeding, namely our brothers in Egypt under the leadership of President Hosni Mubarak,” the King said. “For honesty's sake, I must say to my Palestinian brothers that their dispute is more threatening to their cause than the Israeli invasion.” Al-Sabah: ‘No option but unity' Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah opened the regional summit, originally an Arab League economic summit but later themed the ‘Summit of Solidarity with Gaza,' with a demand for collective Arab measures setting out “practical steps to stabilize the ceasefire” in Gaza. “We have no option but to be united,” he told the leaders, insisting that the “Arab peace initiative still forms the clear foundation for the Arab position,” for a durable settlement to the Palestinian cause. Sheikh Sabah hit out at Israel for its “war crime and a crime against humanity,” calling for “those responsible to be held accountable.” Al-Assad: ‘Israel a terrorist state' Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, who spoke next, said Israel should be branded a terrorist state. “Arabs should declare an unequivocal support for the Palestinian resistance ... I call on the Arab summit to officially declare Israel as a terrorist state for the crime it did in Gaza,” Assad said. “Ceasefire does not mean the end of aggression as the invading forces are still in Gaza,” the Syrian leader said, urging “Arab solidarity... for our causes.” Mubarak: ‘Hamas invited attack' Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, who spoke after Al-Assad, accused Hamas on Monday of inviting Israel's offensive against Gaza by not extending their ceasefire when it expired last month. “You all know that efforts Egypt had undertaken to extend the ceasefire and our warnings that a refusal by factions to extend it was an open invitation to Israeli aggression,” Mubarak said. He said that resisting occupation, while legitimate, should also take into account both gains and losses. Hamas, the militant group which won 2006 parliamentary elections, has ruled Gaza since ousting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction in 2007. Fatah still holds sway in the occupied West Bank. Abbas presents unity formula Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas then took the podium to present a formula for Palestinian national unity. “What is required today ... is to form a (Palestinian) national unity government which will then conduct presidential and legislative elections simultaneously,” Abbas said. “What is needed and necessary now is that all Palestinians should meet to reach an agreement,” Abbas said. Hamas had earlier warned that it would no longer recognize Abbas if he remained in power after his term was due to expire on Jan. 8 and would not allow the holding of new parliamentary polls before they are due in Jan. 2010. Arab foreign ministers subsequently called at a meeting in Cairo in Nov. for Abbas to remain in office until a Palestinian reconciliation agreement has been reached. Ban: ‘Face the challenge' UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as a special invitee to the summit, urged the Arab leaders to join together in backing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. “The Palestinians themselves must face the challenge of reconciliation, and work to achieve a unified government under the leadership of President Abbas,” Ban said. “We cannot rebuild Gaza without Palestinian unity.” Moussa: ‘Arab ship sinking' Amid the political disagreements, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said it was time for the body he chairs to demonstrate it had a role. “The Arab ship is really sinking and Kuwait's summit... might save it,” he said. King Abdullah: ‘Stand tall' The scheduled speeches over, King Abdullah then addressed the leaders, making a moving appeal to Arab unity so as not to let the deaths of the innocent Gazan men, women and children who have died under Israeli tyranny be in vain and for the sake of Arab “dignity and honor.” “As leaders of the Arab nations, we are responsible for the weakness that has befallen our unified stand and the frailty that threatens our consolidation,” King Abdullah said. “I make no exception among us while saying this. “What is done is done. “Today, I beseech you in the name of God Almighty, the martyrs from among us, our children, women and the elderly in Gaza. “In the name of the blood spilled by the sheer force of tyranny in our dear occupied land of Palestine, “In the name of dignity and honor, “In the name of our peoples that have fallen into despair, “I beseech you, myself included, to be stronger than our wants, “To rise above our differences, “To overcome our enemies' assumption. “And to stand tall and erect in a position that will be remembered by history and honored by our nation. “Therefore, allow me to announce in all our names that we transcend the period of difference, opening the door for Arab brotherhood and unity, and for all Arabs without exception. “That we face the future armed with harmony, free from discord, as one body, remembering the words of our Lord, ‘And do not quarrel, for then you will be weak in heart and your power will depart.'”
