Arab League Warns Middle East Nearing ‘Moment of Explosion’, Urges Trump to Rein In Israel

CAIRO, July 27 — Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy has urged US President Donald Trump to curb aggressive Israeli policies toward Palestinians, warning that escalating regional tensions have brought the Middle East to a critical “moment of explosion.”

Speaking in an official statement ahead of a planned meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Tuesday, Fahmy cautioned that the situation across the region is rapidly deteriorating.

“The situation in the region is heading towards a very dangerous point and is approaching a moment of explosion on more than one level,” Fahmy stated.

The regional chief attributed the dangerous state of friction to “the deadlock facing the Palestinian issue” and “the reckless escalation and brinkmanship policies that characterise the Gulf crisis.”

Since October 2023, the Israeli military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 people and injured 174,000 others. Simultaneously, escalated attacks across the occupied West Bank have resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 Palestinians during the same period.

Regional instability flared further following joint military strikes launched by Israel and the United States against Iran in February, which triggered retaliatory strikes by Tehran against Gulf states hosting US military assets.

Fahmy asserted that while all regional parties share a responsibility to preserve security and stability, the US administration bears a direct duty to exercise its influence.

In his appeal, Fahmy called on Trump to “rein in the extremist ambitions of the Israeli government” that risk thwarting the peace initiative in Sharm El-Sheikh, referring to the US president’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza unveiled in September 2025.

The 20-point plan encompasses a formal ceasefire, a prisoner exchange, a phased Israeli military withdrawal, the creation of a transitional Palestinian administration, and a comprehensive reconstruction program for the Gaza Strip.

The Arab League chief also called on Washington to halt repeated Israeli violations in East Jerusalem and put an immediate end to attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, accusing the Israeli government of attempting to “completely eliminate the Palestinian presence” through illegal settlement expansion and ongoing displacement efforts.

Looking beyond Palestine, Fahmy urged “a swift return” to diplomatic understandings between the United States and Iran, emphasizing the necessity of resuming negotiations to restore regional stability, respect state sovereignty, and guarantee safe passage along vital maritime waterways in the Gulf and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea.

-NMT