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Arab nations play China card to give US a Gaza nudge
The American stance has done nothing to deter Israel’s offensive. Arab countries are indicating they have other options.
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Palestinians fleeing the fighting in war-torn Gaza walk on Salaheddine road in the Zeitoun district on Nov 19.
PHOTO: AFP
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For the past seven weeks, the Arab governments of the Middle East have watched helplessly as Israeli forces pounded Gaza. Except for Qatar, which has worked tirelessly to broker a deal under which Israeli hostages held by the Hamas militant organisation are to be exchanged for Hamas fighters held by Israel, the rest of the Arab world was reduced to issuing ineffectual protests while the number of civilian Palestinian casualties continued to mount.
No longer, however. A delegation comprising foreign ministers from Middle Eastern and other Islamic states has now embarked on a tour of key world capitals, in a first example of a serious diplomatic effort to stop the fighting.
