Today's Edition
JEDDAH – Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State, led the United Arab Emirates delegation to the extraordinary open-ended meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Executive Committee, which was held at the foreign minister level.
The meeting was held at the headquarters of the OIC's secretariat in Jeddah on the joint invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chair of the current session of the Islamic Summit and Chair of the Executive Committee, and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The meeting was convened to discuss developments in the current situation in the Palestinian territories and the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.
Following the delivery of the OIC member countries’ statements, the Committee issued a Final Communiqué calling for, among other things, the immediate cessation of the Israeli forces’ aggression against the Palestinian people and the immediate lifting of the siege imposed onthe Gaza Strip.
The communiqué called on all countries and the international community to promptly provide humanitarian, medical and relief aid, and water and electricity supplies. It called for the immediate opening of humanitarian corridors to ensure urgent aid is delivered safely to the Gaza Strip.
The communiqué called for the condemnation of Israeli forces’ blatant targeting of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, which killed and injured hundreds of innocent civilians,representing a war crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
Moreover, the communiqué stressed the importance of preserving the lives of all civilians, not targeting them in any way, and rejecting calls to displace the population of the Gaza Strip.
It reaffirmed the OIC's support of the Government of the State of Palestine at all levels and its disapproval of the double standards shown by the international community in terms of protecting the rights of the Palestinian people.
The communique stated that peace, security, and stability in the region will not be achieved without putting an end to the Israeli occupation and empowering the Palestinian people by preserving their inalienable rights, particularly their right to decide their fate, independence, and return to their lands, in accordance with international law and international legitimacy resolutions.
Furthermore, it called on international actors to engage in sponsoring a serious political path to achieve peace by implementing the two-state solution, within a clear time-frame, in accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions and in line with the peace process and the Arab Peace Initiative.
