Friday, June 04, 2010
- Friday, June 04, 2010
- Elder of Ziyon
- flotilla
An emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo over a response to the flotilla incident resulted in much disagreement over what actions to take, and the wording of the final statement.
The Egyptians were strongly opposed to the wording "break the siege" because it could expose their own citizens to infiltration from Gaza. Qatar threatened Egypt back, and Egypt noted its objections but kept the language.
In the end, the watered down statement did not call on Arab governments to do anything about the blockade - but rather to ask the UN Security Council to pressure Israel.
This was regarded as a major embarrassment in the Arab world.
Apparently, the group also drafted a letter to President Obama but decided unanimously not to publish it.
The Egyptians were strongly opposed to the wording "break the siege" because it could expose their own citizens to infiltration from Gaza. Qatar threatened Egypt back, and Egypt noted its objections but kept the language.
In the end, the watered down statement did not call on Arab governments to do anything about the blockade - but rather to ask the UN Security Council to pressure Israel.
This was regarded as a major embarrassment in the Arab world.
Apparently, the group also drafted a letter to President Obama but decided unanimously not to publish it.