An Iranian official slams Arab leaders for changing sides and supporting Gaza only after losing hope in Israel's ability to achieve its goals.

"Certain Arab states changed their tune in the last days [of the war] when they lost their hope in witnessing Israeli attacks end the way they desired. It was only then that they held a meeting, where they tried to show that they were supporting Hamas," Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said in a Wednesday afternoon speech in Tehran.

Larijani said that 'certain regional governments' were disappointed to find that Israel had failed to topple Hamas, disarm the movement and reinstate Mahmoud Abbas in the coastal region.

Earlier this week, Arab leaders held a two-day summit in Kuwait, without reaching an agreement on what 'practical steps' they could take to stabilize the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Prior to the meeting, various political groups called for decisive Arab action against Israel and the US over the massacre of 1,340 people in the 22-day war against the democratically-elected government of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

During his Wednesday speech, Larijani also said 'certain Arab governments' that secretly aided Israel against Hezbollah during the 2006 war on Lebanon, had shown their true colors in the Gaza crisis by openly supporting Israel.

The Iranian official was referring to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which boycotted an Arab summit, held on Friday January 16 in the Qatari capital of Doha.

In the absence of the two powers, other Arab leaders said they favored ending relations with Tel Aviv, establishing a fund for Gaza reconstruction, and launching efforts to bring Israeli officials to trial for committing war crimes and killing civilians.

MJ/JG/MMN