But the outcome of the summit also highlighted regional divisions over how to respond to the war, even as fears mount that it could draw in other countries.
The final declaration on Saturday rejected Israeli assertions that it is acting in self-defense and demanded that the United Nations Security Council adopt “a decisive and binding resolution” to halt Israel’s “aggression.” It also called for an end to weapons sales to Israel and dismissed out of hand any future political resolution to the conflict that would keep Gaza separate from the West Bank.
At the same time, several nations rejected a push to respond to the war by threatening to disrupt oil supplies to Israel and its allies as well as severing the economic and diplomatic ties that some Arab League nations have with Israel.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, the more hardline draft resolution would have called to prevent the transfer of US equipment to Israel from bases in Arab countries; called to freeze all diplomatic and economic ties with Israel; threatened to use oil as leverage to put pressure on Israel a la the 1972 oil embargo; prevented flights to and from Israel using Arab countries’ air space; and formed a joint mission to put pressure on Western nations for a ceasefire. READ MORE