A joint statement on Friday issued by the foreign ministers of 31 Arab and Islamic countries, as well as the secretaries-general of the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Gulf Cooperation Council, condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements regarding his vision for “Greater Israel.”
The joint Arab-Islamic statement said that Netanyahu’s statements are a direct threat to Arab national security, state sovereignty, and international security and peace. It further constitutes a gross disregard and blatant violation for the rules of international law and the foundations of international relations.
Israel’s reliance on ideological and racist illusions threatens to fuel the conflict and threatens regional and international security, the statement warned.
It emphasized that Arab and Islamic countries will take all measures to promote peace while respecting international legitimacy and the UN Charter.
The statement also utterly condemned approval by Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich for the settlement plan in the E1 area and his “extremist racist” statements rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The ministers’ statement also said that “Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory,” stressing their absolute rejection and condemnation of this settlement plan and all illegal Israeli measures.
The statement stressed that this constitutes 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.
The ministers reaffirmed the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice, which emphasized the illegality of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and the need to end it immediately, eliminate its effects, and provide compensation for its damages.
Condemning genocide
They also warned against the danger of Israel’s expansionist intentions aimed at annexing Palestinian territories and the Israeli government’s continued settler policy in the occupied West Bank.
“We reject and condemn the crimes of Israeli aggression, genocide, and ethnic cleansing. We call on the international community to pressure Israel to halt its aggression and withdraw from Gaza Strip in preparation for reconstruction,” the statement reads.
It emphasized the need for the State of Palestine to assume governance responsibilities in Gaza Strip, as well as the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with Arab and international support under the framework of the political program of the Palestine Liberation Organization – the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people – and the policy of one system, one law, and one legitimate weapon.
The ministers called on the international community, particularly the permanent members of the Security Council, particularly the US, to assume their legal and moral responsibilities and take immediate action to compel Israel to halt its ongoing aggression against Gaza Strip and its dangerous escalation within the occupied West Bank.
Several of the foreign ministers who signed the statement represented the following countries:
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Palestine, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, Chad, Bangladesh, the Union of the Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Indonesia, Libya, the Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, the Republic of Sierra Leone, the Republic of Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, and Yemen, in addition to the Secretary-General of the Arab League, the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.
