Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib. (Credit: NNA)
Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said on Tuesday in Cairo, before the member states of the Arab League, that Lebanon needed "the Arab support it lacks," as fighting between Hezbollah and Israel continued along its border since Oct. 8.
"We suffer in silence and need the Arab support that we lack, as well as Arab coverage in these difficult times," the caretaker minister stated during the 162nd session of the Arab League's ministerial meeting in Cairo. He emphasized that "the Arab void in Lebanon is destructive to its viability, balance, and existence."
Addressing the situation in Gaza, Bou Habib criticized the lack of coordination among Arab League member countries. "We feel shame and pain when we receive or hear through European countries about proposals, solutions, or ideas advanced by Arab parties to resolve the situation in Gaza, without consultation or coordination among us, knowing that all 22 League countries are affected by their outcomes and repercussions," he noted.
The Lebanese foreign minister called on the Arab League to "seriously consider what we will do if a cease-fire is not reached in Gaza."
"Isn't it time to think together about a Plan B so that our region does not become a quagmire of blind extremism and a mix of hatred and destruction?" he questioned.
Regarding the Syrian crisis, Bou Habib welcomed that "meetings are currently taking place in Europe to discuss this issue after some European countries have restored ties with Syria." However, he lamented that Arab countries "have only met once" on this matter before the ministerial meeting he is attending.