Nearly 50 ministers and senior officials representing the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are arriving to take part in the discussions.

Among those expected: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Emirati Minister of State Khalifa bin Shaheen al-Marri, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Mohammad Tawhid Hossain, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

The Qatari newspaper Al-Araby al-Jadeed reported that several options are being considered:

1. A joint statement condemning Israel's strike, seen as the most likely scenario given past precedents.

2. A coordinated diplomatic effort at the UN Security Council and other international bodies aimed at "pressuring Israel," including the possible adoption of "economic and media steps that could include a boycott."

3. A call for "unity" and overcoming Arab and Islamic divisions in the face of "shared threats."

However, divisions are expected among member states over each of these options. Former Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Maasoum Marzouk said the summit would "attract international attention, which is closely watching its potential decisions." He added that such gatherings face a "structural problem" due to competing interests and opposing stances, meaning outcomes typically do not go beyond a minimal consensus.

An Egyptian source said el-Sissi's attendance reflects Cairo's concern with "uniting Arab and Islamic positions against Israel and seeking common mechanisms to confront it." The source added that Egypt views the summit as an opportunity to pass decisions "that match the scale of the aggression" and to "restore the prestige of joint Arab action." According to the official, Cairo sees the meeting as a chance to "rebalance the Arab arena" and highlight that "Qatar's security is part of the Arab-Islamic security system."

The summit will open with an address by Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, followed by speeches from Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Organization of Islamic Cooperation Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha. According to Qatar's state news agency, more than 200 local and foreign journalists will cover the event.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said the summit will deliberate on a draft joint declaration against the Israeli strike.

"The gathering carries several meanings," al-Ansari said. "It reflects broad Arab and Islamic solidarity with Qatar in the face of Israel's cowardly aggression, which targeted the residences of senior Hamas officials, and the opposition of these countries to Israel's policy of state terrorism."

Arab League spokesman Jamal Rushdy said the emergency summit would send a "message of solidarity."

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In a significant shift in regional politics, the Arab League has rescinded its classification of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. This move, announced on Saturday, marks a notable change in the Arab world's stance towards the Lebanon-based Shiite group.

Hossam Zaki, the assistant secretary-general of the Arab League told Egyptian Al-Qahera News Channel, "In previous Arab League decisions, Hezbollah was designated as a terrorist organization, and this designation was reflected in the resolutions, leading to the severing of communication based on these decisions." Hezbollah was classified as a terrorist group in March 2016. He added, "The League's member states concurred that the labeling of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization should no longer be employed."

The #Arab League no longer classifies Lebanese #Hezbollah as a #terrorist organization, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, Hossam Zaki, announced on Saturday. #TheNewRegion pic.twitter.com/U5ZtE1EZgq

— The New Region (@thenewregion) June 30, 2024

Zaki further clarified the Arab League's position: "The League does not maintain terrorist lists and does not actively seek to designate entities in such a manner." Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper cited sources as saying that "Zaki informed Hezbollah that the League decided to lift its terrorist classification and believes that it has a major role in Lebanon's future."

This decision comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region. Hezbollah, known for its vast arsenal of rockets and its ties to Iran, has been actively engaged in cross-border attacks on northern Israel since October 8. These attacks followed a day after Israel suffered what it describes as the worst antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust, perpetrated by Hamas. Hezbollah boasts the world's largest rocket arsenal of any non-state actor, remains committed to what it calls the destruction of Israel, and adheres to an ideology of Jihad.

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Syrian President Bashar Assad will travel to the Saudi city of Jeddah on Thursday to attend the Arab League summit the following day, the Syrian presidency said in a statement. Saudi Arabia invited Assad to attend the summit after Arab states agreed to reinstate Syria's full membership into the league, following 12 years of suspension over his crackdown on protests against him.

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Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit welcomed Syria back into the bloc on Wednesday, as Arab foreign ministers gathered for a preparatory meeting ahead of the full summit. Syrian foreign minister Faisal Mekdad has held talks with his Jordanian, Emirati, and Lebanese counterparts among others. Lebanon's foreign minister Abdullah Bou Habib said he had spoken to Mekdad about the return of refugees and curbing drug smuggling in the region, two issues that have been key to Arab countries' negotiations with Syria in recent months. It would have been unthinkable earlier in the conflict when Gulf Arab states swung behind rebels battling to oust Assad, and then US President Donald Trump branded him an "animal" for using chemical weapons - an accusation he routinely denied.

His presence at an Arab summit in Jeddah on Friday hosted by Saudi Arabia appears to seal his rehabilitation in the region - a diplomatic triumph alongside the military victory he proclaimed years ago, though much of Syria is outside his grasp.

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The head of the Arab League expressed hope Monday that the Biden administration will change US President Donald Trump's policies and launch a political process supported by regional and international parties to achieve independence for the Palestinians.

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Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary-general of the 22-member organization, told the UN Security Council that a two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict "has been marginalized by the main mediator in the peace process," a reference to the United States.

"This encouraged the Israeli government to intensify its settlement activities and to threaten to take dangerous and destructive steps such as annexing occupied land," he said.

The Arab League chief addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a wide-ranging briefing on the crises and conflicts in the Middle East.

He also referred without name to Iran, saying that "some regional powers are interfering in the affairs of the Arab region" by adversely affecting "the security of international maritime navigation routes which are a lifeline for international trade," a reference to freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf.

"It has also become apparent that this interference perpetuates existing conflicts and further complicates them," he said, without directly citing Iran's support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, for Yemen's Houthi Shiite rebels and for Hamas.

Aboul Gheit said the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts and crises have created "a dangerous mix that has taken a heavy toll on the peoples of the region," pointing to 10 years of civil war in Syria, Yemen's war entering its seventh year and "entrenched divisions in Libya."

He spoke a day after Israeli authorities advanced plans to build nearly 800 settlement homes in a last-minute surge of approvals before Trump leaves office Wednesday and Joe Biden is inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. Palestinian leaders denounced the Israeli action.

Aboul Gheit said that "significant efforts" need to be made by all parties in coming months to reaffirm the two-state solution.

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"We look forward to the new American administration rectifying policies and processes that are not useful and engage in a fruitful political process with the support of influential regional and international parties," he said. "This would give the Palestinian people renewed hope that the international community would stand by its side in its noble aspiration to achieve freedom and independence."

On Syria, Aboul Gheit said five countries are interfering militarily and the "security situation remains tumultuous and precarious, especially in the northwest, northeast and south." This not only undermines prospects of a political settlement but also has equally serious humanitarian repercussions, with 90% of Syrians living in poverty, he said.

"I am convinced that a genuine solution would start with a minimal level of international consensus, which is still lacking," and would require some regional parties to reduce their involvement in Syria, Aboul Gheit said. "Those regional parties continue to view Syria land as spoils of war or use it to settle scores,.

In Yemen, the Arab League chief said the situation "is as dangerous, especially the humanitarian situation," with some Yemenis on the bring of starvation.

He strongly backed efforts by UN special envoy Martin Griffiths to get agreement between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government on a joint declaration calling for a cease-fire and confidence-building measures. He said the Saudi-negotiated agreement on a new Cabinet "is a positive sign that the fragmentation and division are coming to an end," which "paves the way for negotiations on a comprehensive solution."

As for Libya, Aboul Gheit said recent events "could bring us closer to ending the division in this important Arab country."

After the 2011 overthrow and killing of dictator Moammar Gadhafi, oil-rich Libya was split between rival administrations in its east and west, each backed by an array of militias and foreign powers. The warring sides agreed to a UN-brokered ceasefire in October, a deal that included the departure of foreign forces and mercenaries within three months and holding presidential and parliamentary elections on Dec. 24, 2021.

Aboul Gheit urged implementation of the cease-fire agreement as well as ending recruitment of foreign fighters and stopping shipments of weapons and military equipment to Libya.

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"Normalization between Israel and the Arab states does not mean a resolution to the Palestinian issue must become a second priority," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a meeting with his United Arab Emirates counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

"We are united in our opinion with the United Arab Emirates on the Palestinian issue. The normalization of Israel's ties with Arab states is gaining steam. Overall, this is of course a positive phenomenon because it eliminates longstanding disputes and establishes channels of cultural and legal communication," Lavrov said.

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The Russian ambassador, however, emphasized that Russia has always claimed that the Palestinian process cannot be pushed back "to a second priority and forgotten." He reiterated that the Palestinian issue must be solved on the basis of existing UN resolutions that should include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state to be established alongside, and in peace and security with, the State of Israel.

According to Lavrov, the UAE foreign minister confirmed this had also been his country's position during talks to normalize ties with Israel. The Russian ambassador emphasized that the international community needed to help to kick start direct talks between the Palestinians and Israel.

To that end, Russia has repeatedly proposed renewing the work of the Quarter – comprised of representatives from Russia, the US, the UN, and the EU. Lavrov added that Moscow saw a need to share the Quartet's efforts with Arab League representatives. The Russian foreign minister said he had recently spoken with his UAE counterpart about establishing a quartet of Arab nations that would include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the UAE.

"I believe that we can and should combine the efforts of the international quartet with the Arab quartet to be established in order to agree to the conditions for renewing direct negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel," he said.

Lavrov said, "Our ultimate goal is the achievement of full normalization in the Middle East, the establishment of a Palestinian state, and the establishment of ties between Israel and all of the countries in the region."

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Palestinians see the accords which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed with Israel in Washington a week ago as betrayal of their cause.

Earlier this month, the Palestinians failed to persuade the Arab League to condemn nations breaking ranks and normalizing relations with Israel.

The PA was supposed to chair Arab League meetings for the next six months, but Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah that it no longer wanted the position.

"Palestine has decided to concede its right to chair the League's council (of foreign ministers) at its current session. There is no honor in seeing Arabs rush towards normalization during its presidency," Maliki said.

In his remarks, he did not specifically name the UAE and Bahrain, Gulf Arab countries that share with Israel concern over Iran. He said Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit was informed of the Palestinian decision.

In a new move addressing internal Palestinian divisions, officials from West Bank-based President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction and the Islamist Hamas movement were due to hold reconciliation talks in Turkey on Tuesday.

Hamas seized the Gaza Strip in 2007 from Fatah forces during a brief round of fighting. Differences over power-sharing have delayed implementation of unity deals agreed since then.

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In a statement posted to Twitter, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim declared: "On December 14 last year, I posted a tweet in which I spoke about the deal of the century and said that it would be announced at the beginning of this year.

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"Now it will be followed by a non-aggression agreement between Israel and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council in addition to Egypt, Jordan and possibly Morocco."

The former Qatari politician noted that he was "not against" such an agreement with Israel, and believed the unanimous decision taken by the Arab League to reject the deal last week was not in the best interest of the region.

"Although there are Arab countries that promised the American side that they would take a positive position on the deal, but they did not, and they justified this by saying that they could not because of the media," said Jassim.

He added that "the Arab side follows a policy based on short-term tactics, while the Israeli side places its policies on long-term strategic foundations."

This article was originally published by i24NEWS

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Protesters waving Palestinian flags gathered on a road leading to the embassy northeast of Beirut as Lebanese troops and riot police provided tight security.

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"Death to America! Death to Israel! We will die and Palestine survive," some of the demonstrators chanted.

Around noon, the protesters removed the barbed wire and reached a metal fence set up by security forces. Police used what appeared to be pepper spray to hold back some of the demonstrators who were on the fence, with at least three protesters being carried away.

Later in the day, the protesters dispersed from the area without any serious clashes, apart from some stone throwing at security forces.

On Saturday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared he was cutting security ties with both Israel and the US in a speech at an Arab League meeting in response to the US plan.

Lebanon is home to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendants. There have been protests in the country's 12 refugee camps since US President Donald Trump unveiled the proposal in Washington.

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Haspel met with Palestinian Authority officials, who told her of their intention to sever all ties, including security, with Israel and the United States.

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Kan reported that the CIA chief, who came to assess the PA's attitude after the announcement of the US peace plan, did not meet with PA President Mahmoud Abbas during her visit.

However, Haspel did meet with PA intelligence chief Majed Farage, who reportedly told her that despite Ramallah's opposition to the American proposal the exchange of information with the CIA will continue.

Abbas, meanwhile, said on Saturday that the PA had cut all ties with the United States and Israel, including those relating to security, after rejecting the peace plan presented by Trump.

Abbas was in Cairo to address the Arab League, which backed the Palestinians in their opposition to Trump's plan.

The blueprint, endorsed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state that excludes Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria and is under near-total Israeli security control.

"We've informed the Israeli side ... that there will be no relations at all with them and the United States including security ties," Abbas told the one-day emergency meeting, called to discuss Trump's plan.

Israeli and US officials had no immediate comment on his remarks.

Israel and the Palestinian Authority's security forces have long cooperated in policing areas of Judea and Samaria that are under Palestinian control. The PA also has intelligence cooperation agreements with the CIA, which continued even after the Palestinians began boycotting the Trump administration's peace efforts in 2017.

Abbas also said he had refused to discuss the plan by with Trump by phone, or to receive even a copy of it to study it.

"Trump asked that I speak to him by phone but I said 'no,' and that he wants to send me a letter ... but I refused it," he said.

Abbas said he did not want Trump to be able to say that he, Abbas, had been consulted.

He reiterated his "complete" rejection of the Trump plan, presented on Tuesday. "I will not have it recorded in my history that I sold Jerusalem," he said.

The Western-backed Palestinian leadership has been under mounting pressure from ordinary Palestinians and its rivals in the Islamic terrorist group Hamas to cut off security ties with Israel and the US or even dismantle the increasingly unpopular Palestinian Authority.

That would leave Israel responsible for the complicated and expensive task of providing basic services to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria.

The Palestinians have made such threats in the past, with few people taking them seriously. But this time might be different, especially if Israel proceeds with annexation of its settlements in Judea and Samaria, as well as the Jordan Valley.

The blueprint also proposes US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's indivisible capital.

The Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo said the plan did not meet the minimum aspirations of Palestinians, and that the League would not cooperate with the United States in implementing it.

The ministers affirmed Palestinian rights to create a future state based on the land captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, with east Jerusalem as capital, the final communique said.

Foreign ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, three close US allies, as well as Iraq, Lebanon and others said there could be no peace without recognizing Palestinian rights to establish a state within the pre-1967 territories.

After Trump unveiled his plan, some Arab powers had appeared, despite historic support for the Palestinians, to prioritize close ties with the United States and a shared hostility towards Iran over traditional Arab alliances.

Three Gulf Arab states – Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates – attended the White House gathering where Trump announced his plan alongside Netanyahu.

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"More than ever, Iran is threatening stability in the Middle East and endangering world peace in general due to its destructive regional aspirations," he said.

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Aboul Gheit stressed the need for Arab countries to unite "to contend with these challenges and threats posed by Tehran."

He also noted that the Arab League has in the past adopted decisions to act against the Iranian threat.

"The Arab League's member states will continue to act to block Tehran's regional ambitions and the dangers they represent for the stability of Arab countries," Aboul Gheit said.

In December, senior diplomatic sources in Jerusalem said Israel was trying to advance a non-aggression agreement with four Arab countries that do not currently have diplomatic relations with Israel. These countries are Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco and are all members of the Arab League.

Such an agreement would be a steppingstone toward full normalization between Israel and these four countries, which already have ties behind the scenes.

None of the four countries mentioned above denied the media reports on this issue.

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