Arab League urges immediate cease-fire in Gaza

A report to be submitted to the foreign ministers council's extraordinary session to be held under the chairmanship of Moroccan delegate minister for foreign affairs and cooperation, M'barka Bouaida, calls the international community to take the needed actions for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and to support efforts seeking to guarantee the terms of the truce reached in November 2012 between Palestine and Israel.

The Arab League's report also denounces Israel's military assaults against the Palestinian people in Gaza strip which caused the death of over 170 Palestinians in seven days, the destruction of houses and other property, kidnapping, threatening and using real bullets against civilians as well as sanctions against prisoners who observe hunger strike.

"The international community should intervene through legal and humanitarian bodies to protect the Palestinian people and avoid disastrous consequences on peace and security in the region and worldwide", the report warns underlining that it is no longer possible to remain silent.

The pan-Arab organization also rings the alarm bell over the continuation of Israel's settlement policy and hurdles preventing the Palestinian authority from practicing any control over the "C" Zone which accounts for 62pc of the West Bank area.

This situation hampers all efforts toward a political settlement securing justice for the Palestinian people and security and economic and political stability for the entire region.