Jeddah: A joint statement was issued today following a consultative meeting on developments in the occupied State of Palestine, held at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah. The meeting was attended by high-level delegations from the OIC General Secretariat, the Arab League, and the African Union Commission.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the three parties affirmed that the peace plan announced by the president of the United States and signed during the international peace summit held in Sharm El-Sheikh in October 2025 -- under Egyptian and U.S. auspices and with Qatari and Turkish signatures and endorsed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 -- represents the beginning of a path toward ending the bloodshed, ensuring unhindered humanitarian access, securing the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces, and restoring normal life. The parties emphasized that the international conference held in Cairo to implement the Arab-Islamic plan for early recovery and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip opened an irreversible path toward realizing the two-state solution.
The three organizations strongly condemned Israeli statements calling for opening the Rafah crossing in one direction only and expressed their absolute rejection of any attempts or plans to displace the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip or the occupied West Bank. They stressed that such actions constitute a war crime, a grave violation of international humanitarian law, and a serious threat to regional and international peace and security.
They warned of the repercussions of Israeli occupation policies aimed at rendering the Gaza Strip uninhabitable and condemned the systematic siege and starvation imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities. They demanded that Israel be compelled to permanently and safely open the Rafah crossing in both directions, as well as all land and sea crossings, and to allow the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid.
The organizations emphasized the grave danger posed by ongoing Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem, such as settlement expansion; arbitrary arrests; annexation plans; the imposition of alleged Israeli sovereignty; repeated incursions into cities, villages, and refugee camps; the destruction of homes and infrastructure; and the forced displacement of residents. They reaffirmed the illegality of all Israeli settlements and stressed the necessity of dismantling and evacuating them, as well as removing all settlers from the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem.
They further warned of the dangerous escalation in systematic crimes, acts of violence, and organized terrorism perpetrated by extremist settlers under the full protection of Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people, their property, land, and holy sites. They called on the international community to put an end to these crimes, hold perpetrators accountable under international criminal law, and demand the disarmament of settlers in accordance with Security Council Resolution 904.
The three organizations rejected all illegal decisions and measures taken by Israeli occupation authorities to alter the political, geographic, and demographic character of occupied Jerusalem. They stressed the need to end these measures and preserve the historical and legal status of Islamic and Christian holy sites, particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque.
They condemned crimes of enforced disappearance, execution, ill-treatment, torture, and all violations committed against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons, including the raid by extremist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on the cell of imprisoned Palestinian national leader Marwan Barghouti and the threat to his life. They called for pressure on the Israeli occupation authorities to disclose the fate of Palestinian detainees and work toward their release and protection.
The joint statement called on the international community to take all necessary measures to ensure accountability for Israeli violations and crimes, including prosecution before national, regional, and international courts, particularly the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, to end impunity and provide international protection for the Palestinian people.
The organizations reaffirmed that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and stressed the necessity of supporting and enabling the government of the State of Palestine to assume its full responsibilities throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including east Jerusalem. They called for all forms of support for the Palestinian government and demanded that Israel immediately and fully release Palestinian tax revenues it is illegally withholding.
The parties welcomed the Emergency Coalition for the Financial Sustainability of the Palestinian Authority, announced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York City on September 25, in cooperation with a group of countries from various regions. They called on all countries to join the coalition and provide financial support to the Palestinian government.
The joint statement welcomed UN General Assembly Resolution A/80/L.1/Rev.1 of September 12, endorsing the outcomes of the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, held in New York under the joint chairmanship of Saudi Arabia and France. The organizations urged countries to implement the New York Declaration and its annexes.
The parties also welcomed the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on October 22, regarding Israel's obligations concerning the presence and activities of the United Nations, international organizations, and third states in the occupied Palestinian territory. They further welcomed UN General Assembly Resolution A/80/537 DR 5 extending the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees' (UNRWA's) mandate for three years, stressing the necessity of providing political, legal, and financial support to the agency and condemning Israeli attacks and unjust decisions targeting its mandate.
The organizations welcomed the report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory issued on September 16 that confirmed that Israel committed genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and called on the international community to immediately implement its recommendations.
The parties highly valued the positions of states that recognized the State of Palestine in September, considering this recognition a fundamental affirmation of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. They urged all states that have not yet recognized Palestine to do so and to support its full membership in the United Nations.
The three organizations emphasized that a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace can only be achieved through ending the Israeli colonial occupation and ensuring the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces, enabling the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine on the June 4, 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international law, relevant UN resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative.
They reiterated their commitment to continued action to implement United Nations resolutions, international decisions, and the New York Declaration, and to encourage member states to take practical steps toward realizing the two-state solution and securing the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to independence, return, and self-determination.