A two-day Arab summit, subdued in the absence of leaders critical of Damascus, ended in the Syrian capital on Sunday with a warning to Israel that an Arab peace offer depends on Israeli behaviour.
According to a statement, Arab governments will review their strategies on peace with Israel. It did not say what options were under consideration or when the review would take place. “The continuation by the Arab side to present the Arab peace initiative is tied to Israel executing its commitments in the framework of international resolutions to achieve peace in the region,” said a Damascus Declaration.
The Arab peace initiative of 2002 offers Israel peace and normal relations with all Arab countries in return for withdrawal from all territory captured in the 1967 war. Successive Israeli governments have either ignored or rejected the offer, which would require Israel to dismantle settlements which house hundreds of thousands of Jews.
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