Arab leaders denounce Israel attacks on Gaza as risks to region rise

Arab leaders condemned Israel’s two-week-old bombardment of Gaza on Saturday and demanded renewed efforts to reach a Middle East peace settlement to end a decades-long cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
Speaking at a hastily convened gathering dubbed the Cairo Peace Summit, Jordan’s King Abdullah denounced what he termed global silence about Israel’s attacks on the enclave and urged an even-handed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
He said, “The message the Arab world is hearing is that Palestinian lives matter less than Israeli ones,” adding he was outraged and grieved by acts of violence waged against innocent civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.
“The Israeli leadership must realise once and for all that a state can never thrive if it is built on a foundation of injustice … Our message to the Israelis should be that we want a future of peace and security for you and the Palestinians.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Palestinians would not be displaced or driven off their land.