Source: Government of Qatar
Doha, August 15
The foreign ministers of 31 Arab and Islamic countries, and the secretaries-general of the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), condemned in the strongest terms the statements made by Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel (the occupying power), and reported by the Hebrew media, regarding the so-called “Greater Israel Vision.”
They stressed that it represents a gross disregard and a blatant and dangerous violation of the rules of international law and the foundations of stable international relations, and constitutes a direct threat to Arab national security, the sovereignty of states, and regional and international security and peace.
The foreign ministers of the State of Qatar, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, the Republic of Chad, the Union of the Comoros, the Republic of Djibouti, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of Gambia, and the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of Iraq, the State of Kuwait, the Republic of Lebanon, the State of Libya, the Republic of Maldives, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Sultanate of Oman, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the State of Palestine, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Senegal, the Republic of Sierra Leone, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Republic of Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Republic of Yemen, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), in a joint statement, said that while the Arab and Islamic countries affirm their respect for international legitimacy and the Charter of the United Nations, particularly Article 2, paragraph 4, regarding the rejection of the use or threat of force, adding that they will adopt all policies and measures that frame and consolidate peace, achieving the interests of all countries and peoples in security, stability, and development, far from the illusion of control and the imposition of the power of force.
They also condemned in the strongest terms the approval by extremist Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the settlement plan in the E1 area and his extremist racist statements rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. They consider this a flagrant violation of international law and a blatant assault on the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent, sovereign state on the June 4, 1967, lines, with occupied Jerusalem as its capital. They emphasized that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories.
They affirmed their absolute rejection and condemnation of this settlement plan and all illegal Israeli measures, which constitute a flagrant violation of international law and Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334, which condemns all Israeli settlement activities aimed at changing the demographic composition, character and legal status of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Palestine. They reaffirmed the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice, which emphasized the illegality of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory and the necessity of ending it immediately, eliminating its effects and providing compensation for its damages.
They warned of the danger of Israeli intentions and policies aimed at annexing Palestinian territories, and the continued extremist Israeli government’s expansionist settlement approach in the occupied West Bank, including attempts to harm Islamic and Christian holy sites, foremost among them the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, settler terrorism, daily raids on Palestinian cities, villages and camps, the systematic destruction of Palestinian refugee camps and the displacement of Palestinians from their homes, which directly contributes to fueling cycles of violence and conflict, and undermines the chances of achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region. It also warns of the reliance on ideological and racist illusions, which threatens to fuel the conflict and make it difficult to control its path or predict its outcomes, threatening regional and international security and stability alike.
In a related context, the foreign ministers of Arab and Islamic countries, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation reiterated their rejection and condemnation of the crimes of Israeli aggression, genocide, and ethnic cleansing. They also affirmed the need for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, while ensuring unconditional access to humanitarian aid to halt the systematic starvation policy used by Israel as a weapon of genocide. This requires an immediate end to the deadly Israeli blockade of the Strip, the opening of Israeli crossings with the Gaza Strip, and holding Israel, the occupying power, fully responsible for the consequences of its crimes in the Gaza Strip, including the collapse of the health and relief system, as the occupying power.
They also reaffirmed their complete and absolute rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people in any form and under any pretext, calling on the international community to pressure Israel to halt its aggression and fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip, paving the way for the appropriate conditions to be created for the implementation of the Arab-Islamic plan for early recovery and reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip.
They emphasized that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory and the need for the State of Palestine to assume governance responsibilities in the Gaza Strip, as well as in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with Arab and international support within the framework of the political program of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and the policy of one system, one law, and one legitimate weapon.
In this context, the Ministers and Secretaries-General, in their joint statement, called on the international community, especially the permanent members of the Security Council, particularly the United States of America, to assume their legal and moral responsibilities and take immediate action to compel Israel to halt its ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip and its dangerous escalation in the occupied West Bank, and to stop the delusional, inflammatory statements issued by its officials and provide international protection to the Palestinian people and enable them to achieve their legitimate rights, foremost among which is their right to establish an independent, sovereign state on their national soil, and to hold accountable those who commit crimes and violations against them.