After two stormy days of meetings, Arab leaders took a unified position and endorsed the final text of the Saudi peace plan read by the Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hamoud.

Moderators and hard-liners signed on the peace plan that calls for "normal relations'' and security in exchange for full withdrawal from all Arab lands occupied by Israel since 1967, establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and a right of return for Palestinian refugees based on UN resolution 194.

Gestures of reconciliation and "ice-melting" among several Arab countries, namely between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Kuwait and Iraq is an important step towards Arab solidarity. Arab leaders welcomed the pledge offered by Iraq to "…respect the independence, sovereignty and security of the state of Kuwait and guarantee its safety and unity to avoid anything that might cause a repetition of what happened in 1990." The Gulf War foes are on a steadfast road to rapprochement.

Despite the progress at the summit and the Arab's strategic commitment to Peace, several Israeli Cabinet ministers were calling for a massive aggression, including ousting Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, toppling his government and re-occupying the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In light of these provocative Israeli measures that dehumanize and humiliate a whole population, any prospects of a genuine peace would be severely undermined; and the survival chances of the Beirut Declaration would be damaged. On one hand, Arab Leaders were offering full peace to the Israeli government while on the other Israel continues with its occupation and aggression defying all international legality.

What is needed now is a bold and courageous political will on the part of the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and the international community to adopt the Beirut declaration in its totality and to pave the way to peace in the Middle East for good. Yet again, the Palestinian people are calling for international intervention to bring about a peaceful and just solution, to end the last remaining military occupation in history and to address the causes of the conflict.