Arab League not to discuss Gulf crisis, Spokesman says

The Arab League has denied plans to discuss the political crisis in the Gulf during a scheduled meeting on Monday.

The pan-Arab body is set to meet in Cairo at the level of permanent delegates to discuss the growing Israeli presence in Africa.

The meeting comes amid a crisis engulfing the Gulf region after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen cut ties with Qatar on claims of supporting terrorism.

"There is no item on the meeting's agenda regarding the move by some Arab states to sever diplomatic ties with Qatar," league spokesman Mahmud Afifi said in a statement.

He said the meeting is held upon the request of Palestine to discuss the growing Israeli presence in Africa.

Qatar, for its part, has strenuously denied the accusations of supporting terrorism, calling the moves to diplomatically isolate it as "unjustified".