Strongly condemning the Israeli aggression in the occupied Palestinian territory, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday said the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) should take a lead to arrange a special UNGA meeting.
“No one wins by killing innocent people and the killers are surely the losers in the hearts and minds of people,” he said while addressing the OIC open-ended extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee in Jeddah on Wednesday.
Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al- Saud, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia and Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary-General of the OIC, among others, were present.
The Israeli aggression in the occupied Palestinian territory has resulted in the loss of over 3000 lives, 1/3 of whom are children.
The current asymmetric war waged by Israel in Gaza targeting the civilians is not only disproportionate, it is tantamount to collective punishment of Palestinians in contravention of all fundamental principles of human rights and humanitarian law.
“We therefore call for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza achieved through dialogue among all relevant parties,” Momen said.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached an all-time low with Israel’s denial of humanitarian access and indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure.
“We also reject unequivocally Israel’s call to forcibly displace the Palestinians out of their own homeland- which will further deteriorate the humanitarian situation in the entire region which is tantamount to ethnic cleansing,” he said.
Momen said they regret that the Security Council failed to adopt a resolution tabled by the Russian Federation (16 October) to enable humanitarian support in Gaza and reiterate our call for immediate humanitarian assistance for the affected population.
“We also call upon the Security Council to condemn the killing of UN and other aid workers, health personnel and journalists in Gaza and hold Israel accountable for its war crimes and disrespect for international humanitarian and human rights laws,” he said, adding that they strongly condemn the barbaric bombing on Gaza hospital which is totally unacceptable.
Momen called upon the international community to address the root causes of the conflict.
“We believe an enduring solution to this recurring problem can only be achieved through realization of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and their right to have an independent and sovereign state of Palestine in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Quartet Road Map. We believe that the international community should come together towards realizing this solution.”
As the member of the Muslim Ummah, he said, “Our destiny is one as are our burdens and responsibilities. Only by mobilizing and optimizing our synergies, we can create an Ummah of shared peace and stability. At this critical time let us stand strong together and work to stop the massacre in Palestine and to ensure lasting peace.”
The OIC Secretary-General of the Organization Taha emphasized that the meeting comes at a time when the Palestinian people are experiencing tragic conditions.
He stressed that the Palestinian question is a high-priority issue on the Organization’s agenda and enjoys continuous support from Member States.
The Secretary-General expressed his confidence in the Committee’s ability to adopt a strong and unified position.