Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. Photo: wiki commons.

“Egypt can unite the Arab states against Israel,” Mohamed Sabih, Assistant Secretary General of the Arab League for Palestine, told Egyptian TV ahead of an Islamic summit the country is hosting.

“This summit is important,” he added, continuing,”It is necessary to make a sharp and clear statement  against Israel. We need to make clear our opposition to the occupation of Jerusalem, and the establishment of settlements, and issues of security of the Palestinian people. The important thing is that 57 countries participating in the meeting will stand behind the statements against Israel, and take action.”

Sabih also said, “Israel is a criminal state that does not respect international law or the agreements it signed.
If there is no firm policy towards Israel, it will continue to build settlements and lead to the amputation of a two-state solution.”

Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Egypt, the first time an Iranian head of state has made an official visit to the country since the 1979 Iranian revolution. Indeed Egypt gave asylum and a state funeral to Iran’s exiled Shah Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown by the revolution. He is buried in a medieval Cairo mosque alongside his ex-brother-in-law, Egypt’s last king, Farouk.

Egypt greeted Ahmadinejad with a red carpet welcome at the Cairo airport, with President Mohamed Morsi on hand offering the Iranian president hugs and kisses. Ahead of his trip Ahmadinejad told Al Mayadeen, a Beirut-based TV station, that “the political geography of the region will change if Iran and Egypt take a unified position on the Palestinian question.”