1964 Arab League summit (Cairo)
Encyclopedia
The 1964 Arab League summit was the first summit of the Arab League
, held in Cairo
, Egypt
, on 13 - 16 January 1964 and attended by all thirteen member states.
At the summit, held on the initiative of the United Arab Republic
(modern-day Egypt only, following the 1961 secession of Syria
from the union), it was decided to carry out planning to resolve inter-Arab
conflicts and to adopt common principles regarding the struggle against imperialism
and the "aggressive policies" of Israel
.
The key resolutions from the summit were expanded and recorded in a letter to the United Nations eight months later at the 1964 Arab League summit (Alexandria)
.
and Palestinian fedayeen
called for a rematch of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
, but other Arab states (most notably Egypt
under Gamal Abdel Nasser
) felt it was not the right moment to strike. Instead, they agreed on the non-military belligerent tactic of diverting water from the Jordan River so that Israel could not use it. This was one of the factors that later precipitated the Six-Day War
in 1967.
The immediate catalyst for the summit was Israel's proposed diversion of water from Lake Tiberias
. In reaction to Syria's repeated charges of Egyptian reluctance for military confrontation with Israel, Egyptian president
Gamal Abdel Nasser
(1918 - 1970) championed an Arab plan to divert two sources of the River Jordan, the Hasbani River
and the Banias
. On 23 December 1963, he said:
(1908 - 1988), a Palestinian
diplomat
and a former assistant secretary-general of the Arab League (1950 - 1956), was given a mandate to initiate contacts aimed at establishing a Palestinian entity, in which role he would eventually become first chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization
.
On the military front, Cairo Radio announced that the leaders of the Arab League member states agreed to set up a unified military command, the United Arab Command
, to be headed by an Egyptian lieutenant general
, Ali Ali Amer, and with headquarters in Cairo. No mention of this new body was made in the official communiqué
from the summit, although the secretary-general himself, Abdel Khalek Hassouna
, had stated that certain adopted resolutions would remain secret.
On the water diversion plan, all thirteen member states unanimously resolved to approve Nasser's proposal.
The effect of the summit and the decisions taken there was to emasculate the Council of the Arab League
and supersede it as the foremost decision-making body.
The summit was to be the first of many: in late 1964, a second summit (1964 Arab League summit (Alexandria)
) would be held in Alexandria, also in Egypt. Following this second summit, a letter was sent to the United Nations setting out the agreed resolutions.
Arab League
The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...
, held in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, on 13 - 16 January 1964 and attended by all thirteen member states.
At the summit, held on the initiative of the United Arab Republic
United Arab Republic
The United Arab Republic , often abbreviated as the U.A.R., was a sovereign union between Egypt and Syria. The union began in 1958 and existed until 1961, when Syria seceded from the union. Egypt continued to be known officially as the "United Arab Republic" until 1971. The President was Gamal...
(modern-day Egypt only, following the 1961 secession of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
from the union), it was decided to carry out planning to resolve inter-Arab
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
conflicts and to adopt common principles regarding the struggle against imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
and the "aggressive policies" of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
The key resolutions from the summit were expanded and recorded in a letter to the United Nations eight months later at the 1964 Arab League summit (Alexandria)
1964 Arab League summit (Alexandria)
The 1964 Arab League summit in Alexandria was held in September in Montaza Palace, Alexandria as the second Arab League Summit. The focus of the conference was to implement the plans discussed at the first Arab League summit held in January of that year...
.
Background
At the time, SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Palestinian fedayeen
Palestinian fedayeen
Palestinian fedayeen refers to militants or guerrillas of a nationalist orientation from among the Palestinian people...
called for a rematch of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
, but other Arab states (most notably Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
under Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
) felt it was not the right moment to strike. Instead, they agreed on the non-military belligerent tactic of diverting water from the Jordan River so that Israel could not use it. This was one of the factors that later precipitated the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
in 1967.
The immediate catalyst for the summit was Israel's proposed diversion of water from Lake Tiberias
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
. In reaction to Syria's repeated charges of Egyptian reluctance for military confrontation with Israel, Egyptian president
President of Egypt
The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt is the head of state of Egypt.Under the Constitution of Egypt, the president is also the supreme commander of the armed forces and head of the executive branch of the Egyptian government....
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
(1918 - 1970) championed an Arab plan to divert two sources of the River Jordan, the Hasbani River
Hasbani River
The Hasbani River , also known as Snir Stream within Israel, is a tributary of the Jordan river.The Hasbani River derives most of its discharge from two springs in Lebanon, the Wazzani and the Haqzbieh, the latter being a group of springs on the uppermost Hasbani...
and the Banias
Banias
Banias is an archaeological site by the ancient city of Caesarea Philippi, located at the foot of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights...
. On 23 December 1963, he said:
In order to confront Israel, which challenged us last week when its chief-of-staff stood up and said "we shall divert the water against the will of the Arabs and the Arabs can do what they want", a meeting between Arab kingMonarchA monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
s and Heads of StateHead of StateA head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
must take place as soon as possible, regardless of the conflicts and differences between them. Those with whom we are in conflict, we are prepared to meet; those with whom we have a quarrel, we are ready, for the sake of Palestine, to sit with.
Resolutions and effects
On Palestine, Ahmad al-ShuqayriAhmad Shukeiri
Ahmad al-Shukeiri also transcribed al-Shuqayri, Shuqeiri, Shukeiry, etc.), was the first Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, serving in 1964–67....
(1908 - 1988), a Palestinian
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and a former assistant secretary-general of the Arab League (1950 - 1956), was given a mandate to initiate contacts aimed at establishing a Palestinian entity, in which role he would eventually become first chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
.
On the military front, Cairo Radio announced that the leaders of the Arab League member states agreed to set up a unified military command, the United Arab Command
United Arab Command
The United Arab Command was a unified Arab military command established by unanimous resolution of the thirteen member states of the Arab League at the summit held in Cairo, Egypt, on 13 - 16 January 1964.-Predecessors:The UAC was the culmination of a history of pan-Arabist collective security...
, to be headed by an Egyptian lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
, Ali Ali Amer, and with headquarters in Cairo. No mention of this new body was made in the official communiqué
Communique
A communiqué is a brief report or statement released by a public agency.Communiqué may also refer to:* Communiqué , a rock band* Communiqué , 1979* Communiqué , 1987...
from the summit, although the secretary-general himself, Abdel Khalek Hassouna
Abdul Khalek Hassouna
Mohammed Abdul Khalek Hassouna was an Egyptian diplomat who served as the second Secretary-General of the Arab League from 1952 to 1972.-Life and career:...
, had stated that certain adopted resolutions would remain secret.
On the water diversion plan, all thirteen member states unanimously resolved to approve Nasser's proposal.
The effect of the summit and the decisions taken there was to emasculate the Council of the Arab League
Council of the Arab League
The Council of the Arab League is the principal institution of the Arab League and was created by article 3 of the Charter of the Arab League.-Organisation:...
and supersede it as the foremost decision-making body.
The summit was to be the first of many: in late 1964, a second summit (1964 Arab League summit (Alexandria)
1964 Arab League summit (Alexandria)
The 1964 Arab League summit in Alexandria was held in September in Montaza Palace, Alexandria as the second Arab League Summit. The focus of the conference was to implement the plans discussed at the first Arab League summit held in January of that year...
) would be held in Alexandria, also in Egypt. Following this second summit, a letter was sent to the United Nations setting out the agreed resolutions.