Ashraf AboArafe writes ✍️
Since the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation announced the formation of the “Joint Ministerial Committee” on November 11, 2023, we’ve seen nothing but empty statements. The usual chorus of “welcoming,” “concern,” “condemnation,” and “denunciation” has echoed endlessly—a stale diplomatic language unworthy of the rivers of blood flowing in Gaza.
The committee has failed to take a single tangible or impactful step. No humanitarian convoys, no political pressure, no sanction threats, not even symbolic moves like recalling ambassadors. Simply put:
Zero diplomacy, zero action, and zero collective dignity.
In this deadly vacuum, 25 donor entities—from Europe and Asia—issued an unprecedented statement, both in unity and in tone. Their message to both Israel and Hamas was clear:
“Stop politicizing humanitarian aid, and let humanity work.”
For over two months, humanitarian aid to Gaza has been virtually halted. Food, medicine, clean water… have become scarce currencies in a population on the brink of mass starvation. Media outlets may speak of “limited resumption,” but donors insist this is a flimsy cover for a de facto siege.
The donor statement rejects Israel’s new model for aid distribution, describing it as a violation of the core principles of humanitarian work:
independence, neutrality, and transparency.
Worse, it’s seen as a tool to redraw the political map of Gaza through control of food and medicine.
Even civilians receiving aid are now at risk of being politically “suspect”—just for accepting food. Humanitarian workers themselves operate under daily threat, trapped in a system governed entirely by Israeli security criteria.
The statement also addresses Hamas, demanding the immediate release of hostages and a cessation of interference in aid distribution. But—wisely—it rejects the immoral equation of “hostages for food”, affirming that humanitarian work must never be politicized.
At its core, the message calls for a ceasefire, a return to the two-state solution, and the preservation of human dignity.
No siege ever created peace. No collective punishment ever brought stability.
Meanwhile, Egypt faces immense pressure to accept the forced displacement of Gaza’s population into Sinai. Yet President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s position remains clear:
“No to land concessions. No to displacement—past or present.”
It’s a principled stance, but it’s not enough. The broader Arab silence remains deafening, and the joint committee continues to be absent, paralyzed, and recycling Western language as though it were their own.
As for the Palestinian Authority, it must undertake a serious internal review:
Unity must come first. Resistance must be recognized as an integral part of the Palestinian national fabric—not a political burden.
The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation must also undergo structural reform, introducing genuine electoral mechanisms so that competent and loyal representatives can rise.
Diplomatic bodies without public accountability are obsolete.
Remember Amr Moussa? Saud al-Faysal, Hamad bin Jasim, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu? Farouk Al-Sharaa? Lakhdar Brahimi? Youssef bin Alawi? Even the General -Secretary now and his team although those who write a death document of LAS!
There was a time when Arabs and Muslims had a voice—and the world respected it.
Today, empty condemnations cannot mask disgrace.
The Arab and Muslim street is no longer just asking about the death toll. It’s asking:
“Who is complicit in the massacre? The occupier alone? Or also the silent—or even complicit—Arab and Muslim regimes?”
Dear people:
“You were the best nation brought forth for mankind: enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong.”
“Indeed, God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves.”
“And hold firmly to the rope of God, all of you, and do not become divided.”
These verses are etched inside the grand hall of the Arab League. They are witnesses against you.
Read them—before death catches up with you, and before history writes that we were silent… witnesses to genocide.
O Allah, I have conveyed the message. Bear witness.
