Arab League to ask UN to impose no-fly zone over Gaza

Cairo : The Arab League (AL) has said it will ask the UN to consider imposing a no-fly zone over the Gaza Strip to protect the civilians from Israeli air strikes, Xinhua reported.Gaza strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about 41 km long and between six and 12 km wide, with a total area of 360 square km.

The Arab League, in a statement issued after an emergency meeting of the pan-Arab organisation at the permanent delegates' level in its Cairo headquarter, said Sunday it would ask the UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the Israeli aggression over Gaza to lift the siege and impose a no-fly zone against the Israeli military to protect civilians.The statement rejected the double standard policies towards the Palestinian case, urging the UN Security Council and the Quartet committee to bear all responsibilities for halting the subsequent massacres and provide an international protection for the unarmed citizens.

The AL also called upon the international community to take all necessary measures and procedures to deter Israel from continuing committing war crimes against humanity.Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said after the meeting that the Arabs' stand towards the Palestinian cause remains steadfast despite the recent incidents engulfing some Arab countries.