Arab League chief warns of Israeli expansion plans in Negev and Galilee

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy has expressed deep concern over Israeli statements and plans aimed at expanding new Jewish communities in the Negev and Galilee regions and increasing the Jewish population there.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Fahmy explained that these plans are linked to measures affecting Arab towns and the powers of planning and land authorities, reflecting what he described as a dangerous rise in racist tendencies within Israeli society.

He added that the proposed plans institutionalize discrimination and exclusion based on identity and national affiliation, undermining principles of equality and the rights of Arab citizens. Fahmy warned of serious social and political consequences if these approaches are formalized and adopted as public policy.

Call for international action

In this context, the Secretary-General noted that these developments are part of broader Israeli policies aimed at imposing new facts on the ground, particularly through settlement expansion and undermining the prospects for establishing a Palestinian state. He said such actions violate international law and threaten the chances of reaching a just political settlement.

Fahmy stressed the need for the international community to assume its responsibilities in confronting these policies and safeguarding the foundations for establishing an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, affirming that a two-state solution is the path to achieving security and stability in the region.