CAIRO, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Arab foreign ministers held on Monday an emergency meeting to discuss the recent U.S. support for the establishment of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territories.
The meeting is held in the Cairo-based Arab League (AL) on the request of Palestine.
AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit slammed, in a televised speech, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's announcement as "very negative development and regrettable transformation of the U.S. stand."
He added the U.S. statement will negatively impact any horizon for achieving peace in the future.
"The U.S. announcement constitutes an end to its role as a mediator after four decades of work in this file," the pan-Arab organization chairman said.
He called on the international society to stand against such approaches.
Earlier, Saeed Abu Ali, AL's assistant secretary-general for Palestine and occupied Arab territories, said "the meeting aims to crystalize a coordinated Arab consensus stand for standing against that U.S. move."
He added the meeting will also discuss taking practical measures to combat the U.S. decision.
"The Arab foreign ministers will also discuss means for nulling the repercussion of the American move at the international level," he said.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict started more than 70 years ago following the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the Western-backed creation of Israel in 1948.
