OIC Foreign Ministers Council Rejects Plans to Displace Palestinian People

The Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) rejected and unequivocally confronted the plans aimed at displacing the Palestinian people individually or collectively, inside or outside their land, or forced displacement, exile or deportation in any form, under any circumstance or justification, as ethnic cleansing, a grave violation of international law and a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and an unacceptable encroachment on the sovereignty and stability of states and a threat to their security and territorial integrity. The ministers condemned the policies of starvation and scorched earth aimed at forcing the Palestinian people to leave their land.
 The council also demanded an end to all policies and measures of annexation, illegal settlements, house demolitions, land confiscation, destruction of infrastructure, Israeli military incursions into Palestinian camps and cities, and attempts to impose so-called Israeli sovereignty on any parts of the West Bank, including East Al-Quds, which threatens to blow up the entire situation in an unprecedented manner, further inflame and complicate the regional situation, and is a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and relevant UN resolutions.
 The council supported the efforts of the Global Alliance for Implementation of the Two-State Solution, chaired by Saudi Arabia, as chair of the Arab-Islamic Joint Committee on Gaza, the European Union, Norway, and active participation in the International Conference to Settle the Palestinian Question and Implement the Two-State Solution, chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, to be held at the United Nations headquarters in New York in June 2025.
 A decision was issued during the 20th extraordinary session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC member states, which took place yesterday at the OIC General Secretariat headquarters in Jeddah. The session focused on addressing the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and the efforts to displace them from their land, as outlined below:
 “The Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC-CFM), convened in its Extraordinary Session to address the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and the attempts to displace them from their land, at the request of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Palestine, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, at the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah on Friday, March 7, 2025,
 Reinforcing the foundational principles and strategic objectives outlined in the OIC Charter,
 Affirming the resolutions adopted by the OIC pertaining to the Palestinian Cause and the Holy City of Al-Quds Ash-Sharif, most recently by the Extraordinary Joint Arab-Islamic Summit on the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on November 11, 2024,
 Guided by the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and relevant resolutions, specifically resolutions 2735 (2024), 2728 (2024), and 2334 (2016), as well as General Assembly’s resolution ES 10/24 adopted on September 18, 2024, on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice confirming the illegality of the Israeli occupation and colonial settlements within the Occupied Palestinian Territory, emphasizing the urgent necessity to terminate such practices,
 Reaffirming the centrality of the Palestinian Cause for the Ummah, and the unwavering support for the Palestinian people in their pursuit of legitimate rights, including their rights to self-determination, independence, freedom and sovereignty over their territory, the establishment of the State of Palestine based on the borders of June 4, 1967, with Al-Quds Ash-Sharif as its capital, and the right of all Palestinian refugees to return and receive compensation in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and its relevant resolutions, particularly Resolution 194,
 Reaffirms its commitment to a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East as a strategic choice based on the full withdrawal of Israel, the occupying power, from all Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Al-Quds Al-Sharif, and enabling the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate rights, including their right to self-determination, independence and freedom, the sovereignty of the State of Palestine on the borders of 4 June 1967, with East Al-Quds as its capital, as well as the right of Palestinian refugees to return and compensation based on the relevant United Nations resolutions and the Arab peace initiative in all its elements and natural sequence as set forth in successive Arab and Islamic summits since 2002.
 Emphasizes the imperative for Israel, the illegal occupying power, to adhere to the provisions of a permanent and sustainable ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, declared on January 15, 2025, under the joint mediation of the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America, in order to achieve a permanent and comprehensive cessation of Israeli hostilities, facilitate the return of displaced persons to their homes, withdraw the Israeli occupying forces, open all crossings, and ensure adequate humanitarian access to all parts of the Gaza Strip; and holds Israel, the occupying power, fully responsible for the failure of efforts as a result of its failure to fulfill its obligations.
 Strongly rejects and unequivocally confronts the plans aimed at displacing the Palestinian people individually or collectively, inside or outside their land, or forced displacement, exile or deportation in any form, under any circumstance or justification, as ethnic cleansing, a grave violation of international law and a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and an unacceptable encroachment on the sovereignty and stability of states and a threat to their security and territorial integrity; Condemns the policies of starvation and scorched earth aimed at forcing the Palestinian people to leave their land, and rejects any Israeli attempts to change the demographic composition of the Palestinian Territory.
 Demands an end to all policies and measures of annexation, illegal settlements, house demolitions, land confiscation, destruction of infrastructure, Israeli military incursions into Palestinian camps and cities, and attempts to impose so-called Israeli sovereignty on any parts of the West Bank, including East Al-Quds, which threatens to blow up the entire situation in an unprecedented manner, further inflame and complicate the regional situation, and is a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and relevant UN resolutions.
 Reaffirms its commitment to the vision articulated by President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, highlighting the importance of achieving Palestinian national unity grounded in adherence to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, fully aligned with its political framework, international commitments, and the principle of a singular governance system characterized by one law and one legitimate armed force; and underscores that the democratic process and reliance on electoral mechanisms are essential for honoring the will of the Palestinian people in choosing who represents them through general, presidential and legislative elections to be held in all the Palestinian territory, Gaza and the West Bank, including East al-Quds.
 Welcomes and supports the decision of the Government of the State of Palestine to form an administrative committee under its umbrella that includes national competencies from the Gaza Strip for a transitional period while continuing to work to enable it to assume all its responsibilities, enhance its ability to fully fulfill its duties in maintaining security in the Gaza Strip, and implement its plan for relief, recovery, reconstruction and development in the Gaza Strip. This is to be carried out within the framework of the geographical and political unity of all Palestinian territory occupied in 1967, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Al-Quds, while ensuring the permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people over their land and reinforcing their steadfastness.
 Holds Israel, as the illegal occupying power, legally accountable for the significant harm arising from the war crimes and acts of genocide it perpetrated against the Palestinian people, the extensive destruction, substantial fatalities, human suffering, material losses, economic detriment, and the devastation of property, residential areas, infrastructure, and both civil and social facilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly within the Gaza Strip, and holds it responsible for the cessation of these impacts, the rectification of the damage incurred, and the provision of compensation for the losses suffered.
 Adopts the plan presented by the Arab Republic of Egypt, in full coordination with the State of Palestine and the Arab States, and based on studies conducted by the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme -which was adopted on the Extraordinary Arab Summit (Palestine Summit) on the early recovery and reconstruction of Gaza, and to provide all kinds of financial, material and political support for its implementation; and urges the international community and international and regional funding institutions to swiftly provide the necessary support for the plan, emphasizing that all these efforts run in parallel with the initiation of a political process and a perspective for a lasting and just solution, aiming at achieving the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish their own state and live in peace and security.
 Welcomes the convening of an international conference in Cairo as soon as possible for the recovery and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, in cooperation with the State of Palestine and the United Nations. It also urges the international community to participate in the conference to accelerate the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip following the destruction caused by the Israeli aggression and to establish a trust fund to receive financial pledges from donor countries and funding institutions for the implementation of recovery and reconstruction projects.
 Calls for the establishment, in cooperation with the United Nations, of an international fund to support the orphans of the Gaza Strip – victims of the brutal Israeli aggression – who number approximately 40,000 children. It also calls for providing assistance and artificial limbs to thousands of injured individuals, particularly children who have lost their limbs, and encourages countries and organizations to launch relevant initiatives, similar to the Jordanian ‘Restoring Hope’ initiative to support amputees in the Gaza Strip.
 Calls for the enhancement of the resilience of the Palestinian people and their steadfastness on their land by providing more humanitarian support and all possible facilities for the economic, industrial, commercial, educational and health sectors in Palestine. It further calls for supporting the budget of the Government of the State of Palestine and activating the Islamic financial safety net in accordance with mechanisms to be agreed upon, and calls on the international community to compel the Israeli occupation to immediately and fully release the withheld Palestinian tax revenue funds.
 Calls upon the UN Security Council to fulfill its mandate in upholding international peace and security, and to implement its relevant resolutions, specifically resolutions 2735 (2024), 2728 (2024), and 2334 (2016), as well as General Assembly’s resolution ES 10/24 dated September 18, 2024. It also calls on all states to consider further actions, including the imposition of punitive sanctions against Israel, the illegal occupying power, to pressure an immediate end to its occupation and the unlawful settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and to reaffirm support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination; endorses the tangible and appreciated efforts made by the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, within the framework of its non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, in supporting Islamic causes in general and the Palestinian cause in particular.
 Condemns all criminal acts, extremist and racist statements by ministers of the Israel, the occupying power, and its crimes in the cities, villages and camps of the West Bank, and warns of the gravity of the escalation of organized terrorism practiced by extremist settlers against the Palestinian people, their land, holy sites and properties, supported and armed by the Israel, occupying power, and protected by its forces, and calls for legal measures to be taken to hold them accountable and to take the necessary measures to confront the annexation and colonial settlement policy and attempts to impose so-called Israeli sovereignty on the Palestinian land.
 Stresses the importance of supporting the Legal Monitoring Unit and the Media Unit at the OIC General Secretariat, in implementation of the resolutions emanating from the Extraordinary Joint Arab and Islamic Summit, and assigns the Secretary-General to submit a report on their activities aimed at documenting and exposing Israeli crimes and violations, as well as contributing to the preparation of legal arguments on all violations of international law and international humanitarian law committed by Israel, the occupying power, against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Al-Quds.
 Emphasizes the importance of accountability and legal prosecution of all those responsible for the grave violations and crimes committed against the Palestinian people through international and national justice mechanisms; urges all States to commit to implementing the two advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice; calls on the International Criminal Court to complete investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by officials of the Israeli colonial occupation government against the defenseless Palestinian people and quickly bring the criminals to international justice; and calls on all States to impose sanctions on Israel, the occupying power, to deter it and compel it to comply with international law.
 Emphasizes that commission of the genocide in Gaza and continuation of the indiscriminate military attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure are closely linked to provision of military support, weapons, ammunition and related equipment to Israel, calls on all countries that supply these weapons and ammunition to Israel to reconsider this policy and ban export or transfer of weapons and ammunition to Israel and decides to follow up on the joint letter initiative by the Republic of Türkiye and the core group made up of 18 countries in the United Nations that was signed by 52 countries, Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States, to halt provision of arms to Israel.
 Reaffirms its unequivocal rejection and opposition to all Israeli measures, including racist and illegal laws targeting the existence of UNRWA and attempts to diminish or abolish its irreplaceable role in its five areas of operation, particularly in the West Bank, East Al-Quds, and the Gaza Strip, which represents a top political and humanitarian priority and serves as a stabilizing factor in the region. Further rejects all attempts to liquidate the refugee issue, their right to return and compensation, and calls on all states to provide increased political, legal, and financial support to UNRWA.
 Calls for support for the right of the State of Palestine to obtain full membership in the United Nations and its organs, and commends the positions of the States that have recognized the State of Palestine and calls upon all States that have not recognized the State of Palestine to do so, guided by the principles and purposes of the UN Charter and in implementation of its resolutions affirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
 Assigns the Islamic Group in New York to continue efforts to mobilize international support for freezing Israel's participation in the UN General Assembly and its affiliated entities, in preparation for submitting a joint draft resolution to the General Assembly - Tenth Extraordinary Session (Uniting for Peace), on the basis of its violations of the UN Charter, its threat to international peace and security, its failure to fulfill the obligations of its membership in the UN, and based on the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on July 19, 2024.
 Condemns the crime of enforced disappearance, abuse, oppression, torture and degrading treatment of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons, and calls for action at all levels to reveal the fate of the abductees, work towards their immediate release, and ensure their protection, and requests an independent and transparent investigation into all these crimes against Palestinian prisoners.
 Strongly condemns all Israeli occupation policies aimed at Judaizing the occupied city of Al-Quds and changing its Arab identity, and calls for allowing worshippers to access the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, practice their religious rituals freely and safely, and preserve the legal and historical status of Islamic and Christian holy sites, especially the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, Al-Haram Al-Sharif, with its entire area of 144,000 square meters, as a place of exclusive worship for Muslims only; and calls on all states, institutions and international organizations to adhere to the resolutions of the international legitimacy regarding the occupied city of Al-Quds as an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories of 1967 and as the capital of the State of Palestine. It also emphasizes the necessity of respecting the role of the Jordanian Directorate of Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs as the exclusive authority in managing all the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque within the framework of the historical Hashemite custodianship over the holy sites, and also stresses the role of the Al-Quds Committee and Bayt Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency.
 Condemns the grave Israeli practices and violations against the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and other religious sites, and calls on the international community and international organizations, especially the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which in 2017 recognized the Ibrahimi Mosque as a World Heritage Site in Danger, to intervene to stop the violations and provocative practices immediately.
 Stresses the need to provide international protection for the Palestinian people in accordance with international standards and in implementation of United Nations resolutions, and in line with the resolutions of Islamic summits, and calls for the deployment of international protection and peacekeeping forces, as part of the actual implementation of a comprehensive vision with a timetable for building the capacity of the institutions of the State of Palestine and realizing its sovereignty over the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.
 Recalls the UNGA resolution ES-10/24 of 18 September 2024, which called for convening the Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war on measures to enforce the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including East Jerusalem, and to ensure respect thereof in accordance with common article 1 of the four Geneva Conventions, within six months; regrets that the Conference announced to be held in Geneva on 7 March 2025, could not take place and deliver on its mandate; and calls for enhanced international efforts to uphold THL, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, in the OPT.
 Supports the efforts of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, chaired by Saudi Arabia, as chair of the Arab-Islamic Joint Committee on Gaza, the European Union, Norway, and active participation in the International Conference to Settle the Palestinian Question and Implement the Two-State Solution, chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, to be held at the United Nations headquarters in New York in June 2025.
 Acknowledges the efforts of the Joint Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and urges it to persist in its endeavors to effectively communicate the Islamic and Arab stances to all countries of the world and international organizations in order to explain the Arab plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, while upholding the right of the Palestinian people to remain on their land and their right to self-determination; and to discuss measures that can be taken to counter attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause and to mobilize international pressure to force Israel to withdraw from all occupied Arab territories.
 Emphasizes the need to implement the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon in all its clauses and to abide by Security Council Resolution 1701 indivisibly, condemns the Israeli violations thereof, obliges Israel to implement its part of this resolution, rejects any Israeli attempt to impose a new reality by staying in Lebanese border points or establishing a new border strip, demands Israel to fully withdraw from Lebanon to the internationally recognized borders in accordance with the provisions of the Armistice Agreement between Lebanon and Israel of 1949, and to hand over the prisoners captured during the recent war; emphasizes support for the Lebanese Republic in its diplomatic efforts aimed at liberating all its territories, preserving its sovereignty, supporting Lebanon's security and stability, and condemning any Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
 Condemns the Israeli attacks on the Syrian Arab Republic and the incursion into its territory, which is a flagrant violation of international law, an aggression against Syria’s sovereignty and a dangerous escalation that increases tension and conflict; Calls on the international community and the Security Council to take immediate action to implement international law and compel Israel to stop its aggression and withdraw from the Syrian territories it has occupied in clear violation of the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement; Reaffirms that the Golan Heights is occupied Syrian territory, and rejects Israel’s decision to annex it and impose its sovereignty over it.
 Assigns the Secretary-General the responsibility of monitoring the execution of the provisions outlined in this resolution and to submit a detailed report on these efforts to the forthcoming CFM.”