Presenting a united front at the Arab League summit, leaders of Arab states have "absolutely" rejected US recognition of occupied Golan Heights as Israeli territory. A Qatari emir unexpectedly left the Tunisia meeting.
The group "affirmed that the Golan is occupied Syrian territory according to international law, the decisions of the United Nations and the Security Council" in a final declaration issued at the end of the one-day summit in Tunisia.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Arab League's secretary general, said the organization would present a draft resolution to the UN Security Council condemning the US move and ask the International Court of Justice for a legal opinion on the matter.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz told fellow leaders his country "absolutely rejects any measures which could affect Syria's sovereignty over Golan."
The significance of the Golan Heights
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'Occupation is a crime'
Israel wrestled the control of the border region from Syria during the Arab-Israeli war in 1967 and annexed it 1981, although nearly all countries view the Golan Heights as occupied territory.
"Occupation is a crime and legalizing is a sin," Gheit said.
The sentiment was echoed by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who told Arab leaders at the summit that any resolution to the war in Syria must guarantee the nation's integrity, including the occupied Golan Heights.
Syria stays out
Syria was not represented at the meeting. Other Arab League countries suspended Damascus' membership in 2011 due to a violent crackdown on the opponents of President Bashar al-Assad, which eventually spiraled into a civil war.
Damascus' return to the organization remains unlikely in the near future. The regime in Syria is angry with Saudi Arabia and Qatar for providing support to rebels who fought against Assad.
While Arab leaders displayed unity over the Golan Heights, the nations still face a host of other divisive issues such as the war in Yemen, Iran, and the prolonged crisis in Libya, as well as unrest in Algeria and Sudan.
Qatar - Gulf Cooperation Council disputes over the years
The current diplomatic crisis engulfing Qatar is not the first time that wealthy Gulf neighbors have been through rough patches. DW takes a look at the history of Middle Eastern regional discord.
Severed ties, broken trust
Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt cut ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties with their Shiite rival, Iran. Doha denies the claim. SA and its allies also imposed sanctions against Doha and presented Qatar with a list of demands. Kuwait has been trying to mediate, and several Western diplomats have toured the region to defuse the row.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/STRINGER
Instability haunts Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
Back on March 5, 2014, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain suspended ties with Qatar over its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that has been labelled a terrorist organization. Qatar was accused of breaching the 2013 GCC security agreement. Later in November that year, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain agreed to return their ambassadors to Doha after eight months of tension and frozen relations.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Elfiqi
Arab Spring and the GCC
The Arab Spring in 2011 did not lead to uprisings in GCC member states, apart from Bahrain, which crushed Shiite protests with Saudi military support. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have long been concerned Iran could cause unrest among their Shiite populations.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Al-Shaikh
Pipeline disputes
Relations between Saudi Arab and Qatar hit a low spot in 2006 after Riyadh withdrew its approval for Qatar’s plans to build a gas pipeline to Kuwait. In the same year, Saudi Arabia also protested against a planned pipeline for taking Qatari gas to the UAE and Oman. In 2005 there had also been Saudi protests against a plan to build a bridge linking Qatar to the UAE.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Brakemeier
Border clash
In 1992, three people were killed in a border clash between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Qatar claimed that Saudi Arabia had attacked the border post at Khafus. Saudi Arabia responded that the clash had taken place on Saudi territory.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
Border dispute
In 1965 an agreement was reached on where the border between Qatar and Saudi Arabia would lie. But the issue was not completely settled until decades later. After three years of wrangling, the two countries signed a border demarcation agreement in 1996. It took more than a decade after this for it to be fully implemented.
Territorial disputes
In 1991, Doha took a border dispute with Bahrain over the Hawar Islands to the United Nations International Court of Justice. Armed confrontation between the two countries had been narrowly avoided in 1986 due to timely Saudi intervention. Later, the ICJ ruled in favor of Bahrain. Qatar was awarded the Janan Islands.
The Sunday summit was the first event to bring the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to the same table since 2017, when Riyadh imposed sanctions on Doha.
However, Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani unexpectedly left the summit hall shortly after the opening session. Qatar media confirmed the ruler had left and the rest of the delegation was still at the event, but did not provide reasons for the development.
