Joint statement by Foreign Ministers of Arab-Islamic Committee on Gaza
Manama, Sep. 8 (BNA): The Foreign Ministers of the Arab-Islamic Committee on Gaza expressed their rejection of Israel’s statements regarding the displacement of the Palestinian people from their occupied land since 1967, under any pretext or designation.
They also condemned Israeli policies and practices aimed at uprooting the Palestinian people through the expansion of military operations in the Gaza Strip, the use of blockade and starvation as instruments of war, repeated targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and attempts to prolong and expand the conflict in a manner that threatens regional and international peace and security. The ministers further reiterated their condemnation of Israel’s unlawful measures in the West Bank, including settlement expansion, settler violence, home demolitions and land seizures.
The Foreign Ministers stressed the urgent need for the immediate cessation of Israel’s violations of international humanitarian law, and called for accountability of all those responsible for such violations, which may amount to the crimes of ethnic cleansing and genocide.
The ministers renewed their call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the lifting of all Israeli restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid through all routes and crossings, and the provision of the necessary international support to enable the Palestinian National Authority to return to Gaza and support the Palestinian people’s efforts to build their independent state.
The ministers emphasised that Israeli practices and violations constitute a breach of international law and a violation of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and the rules of international order.
They called on the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council, to assume its full responsibility in ensuring the protection of the Palestinian people and safeguarding their right to remain on their land in both Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and to work towards ending the illegal Israeli occupation.
The ministers underlined that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the basis of the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, remains the only path to achieving a just and lasting resolution of the Palestinian cause, consistent with the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, the principles of human rights and all relevant international legitimacy resolutions. They confirmed their commitment to supporting all efforts aimed at realizing the independent State of Palestine.
