In the holy land of Mecca, Saudi diplomacy succeeded in preventing further bloodshed of Palestinian blood, bringing about a consensus for the formation of a Palestinian national unity government. Diplomacy succeeded when it brought the parties face to face, without interfering or dictating conditions.

One of the most important reasons for the success of the Mecca summit was the honest mediation that did not stem from exploiting the cause. Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz frequently discussed the disgrace of Palestinian bloodshed and the exploitation of the Palestinian cause as a pretext. It is for this reason that diplomacy on this occasion has prevailed, the aim of which was to spare the tragedy of Palestinian bloodshed at the hands of another Palestinian. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the conflict has resulted in the death of 87 people since the beginning of 2007. Never before has an occupied people engaged in infighting.

The Mecca summit is evidence that the Arab world is in dire need of an honest effort and diplomacy that refrains from exploitation, and the aim of which is to put an end to all kinds of inter-Arab conflict. Today, we are in need of prioritising the interests of our Arab peoples and preparing different agendas for advancement and success.

The Arab nations are in need of persistent action from their leaders in order to achieve the aspirations of their people. Our countries do not need to be played as cards within the political game since nothing is as important as one’s homeland.

Therefore the Mecca summit is conclusive evidence that honest diplomacy today is the main requirement at a time when the Arab world has become a battlefield where an Arab fights another Arab, and a platform for manoeuvre by external parties and where groups within this arena have begun to destroy the countries and reduce the concept of the state vis-à-vis the logic of the community and [civil] groups. Rather than discussing Arab armies, the discussions are now based on armed militias.

In our Arab world, before democracy, which is beneficial to the people, we are in desperate need of stability and this justifies our region’s dire need for honest diplomacy.