CAIRO, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa said on Sunday that Arab nations will offer financial and material aid to the Palestinians regardless a political and financial blockade by Western powers since Hamas came to office in March.

    Moussa made the remarks during a joint press conference with Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Khalifa after an emergent Arab foreign minister meeting in the AL headquarters in Cairo.

    "Arab countries have never participated in the blockade imposed on the Palestinian people," said Moussa.

    "If some powers opt for going ahead with the siege, Arab countries will not take part in it, and will offer financial and material assistance to the Palestinian people," he said. Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar hailed the decision, saying it could be helpful for the formation of a Palestinian national unity government and a lifting of international aid blockade.

    "The decision to lift the blockade is extremely important. It means Arabs will then use usual means to send aid to the Palestinians," he said.

    The Hamas-led government has faced political and economic sanctions since it took office in March, as Hamas rejects three conditions of recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and honoring previous agreements signed with Israel.

    The conditions were set by the Quarter Committee ¨C comprising Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations -- which has been a major mediator in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

    Arab foreign ministers convened the extraordinary meeting, with focus on the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    The meeting was attended by Moussa and 16 Arab foreign ministers including Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.

    Moussa said earlier that the emergency meeting would discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and Arab nations' response to the Israeli aggression.

    The Arab foreign minister meeting came one day after the U.S. vetoed an Arab-sponsored UN Security Council draft resolution which sought to condemn the deadly Israeli attack in Gaza and urge an immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from there.

    The Israeli artillery barrage ripped through a cluster of houses in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun at dawn last Wednesday, killing 18 civilians, mostly women and children.

    The attack was the deadliest on Palestinian civilians in the past several years, prompting a wave of strong censure across the Arab world and the international community.