Algiers remains a steadfast supporter of the Palestinians, even mediating a reconciliation between rival factions in October Tuesday’s summit, the first since 2019, had been postponed multiple times due to the coronavirus pandemic ALGIERS: Algeria’s president called Tuesday for Arab unity to face escalating “tensions and crises” as he opened the first Arab League summit in three years. Abdelmadjid Tebboune told the meeting’s inaugural session that “our central and primary cause remains the Palestinian cause.” The Algerian president also warned that “exceptional global conditions are creating polarization... which is impacting our food security,” without directly mentioning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The regional and international context (is) marked by rising tensions and crises, particularly in the Arab world, which in its modern history hasn’t seen a period as difficult as the one it is currently undergoing,” he added. Tuesday’s summit, the first since 2019, had been postponed multiple times due to the coronavirus pandemic. Algiers remains a steadfast supporter of the Palestinians, even mediating a reconciliation between rival factions in October. Tebboune said that a 2002 Arab initiative proposing peace in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from land it occupied during the 1967 Six Day War was the only way to reach “a just and comprehensive peace.” The two-day meeting coincides with elections in Israel that could see hawkish ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu return to power. Addressing leaders including United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, Tebboune called for a UN General Assembly session to give full membership to the state of Palestine. The main roads of Algiers were decked out with national flags and huge billboards welcoming “brother Arabs,” ahead of a dinner hosted by Tebboune.