João Lourenço was speaking as acting president of the African Union at the extraordinary summit of the Arab League on the situation in Gaza, Palestine, which took place in Cairo, Egypt.
"We repudiate any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their territories, the continued policy of expanding settlements, and the illegal occupation and annexation of territory belonging to Palestine. We also defend tolerance and coexistence between religions, avoiding fanaticism and radicalism that can lead to the exacerbation of hatred and violence between peoples," he said.
He also reiterated the African Union's commitment to working with the Arab League "towards the achievement of a lasting and sustainable peace in the conflict between Israel and Hamas."
He also recalled that Africa has consistently expressed its unconditional support for the cause of the Palestinian people regarding their right to self-determination, as was the case at the recent summit of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union, where they reaffirmed their solidarity with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority.
"We recognise the Palestinian Authority and express our full support for its struggle for the right to self-determination, in accordance with United Nations resolution 149 of 1948 and subsequent resolutions, as well as its territory based on the borders prior to 4 June 1967 and East Jerusalem as its capital", he stressed.
The Arab League summit, which was also attended by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, aimed to address the situation in the Gaza Strip and Palestine and its impact on the Middle East region, in order to strengthen a common position regarding the cause of the Palestinian people and the challenges of reconstruction and the return of the populations, after more than 15 months of war.
João Lourenço condemned the attacks by Hamas and the "disproportionate military response by Israel" against the Palestinians, which caused an "unprecedented" humanitarian catastrophe with "overtones of genocide", expressing concern about the "harmful" implications of the spread of the conflict to the entire Middle East region.
The Angolan head of state also highlighted the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, as well as the ongoing process of releasing Israeli hostages, and urged the Israeli authorities to allow the opening of humanitarian corridors and the return of more than two million internally displaced Palestinian citizens and refugees in neighbouring countries.
