Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan participated today in the meeting of the representatives of the Ministerial Joint Contact Group of the League of Arab States and Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Madrid, Spain, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Broad Participation
The meeting highlighted the participation of several ministers and representatives from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, the State of Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia and Spain.
According to the joint statement, the participating countries emphasized their commitment to implementing the two-State solution, describing it as the only way to establish peace and security.
The meeting condemned all forms of violence and terrorism and called for credible and irreversible two-state solution according to the international law and the fulfillment of the rights of the Palestinian people and Israel’s security.
Since the Peace Conference of 1991, the international community has not been able to achieve our common objectives which are:
- Putting an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem
- Providing an umbrella under which two independent and sovereign States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace and security
Therefore, the ministers welcomed the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice of 19th July 2024.
They also underscored the dire need to empower the Palestinian government to carry out all its responsibilities throughout the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The participants declared their unwavering support to the ongoing mediation efforts of the Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, and rejected any attempts to obstruct this mediation.
Strong Demands
The meeting announced the following demands, as follows:
- An immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza
- The release of hostages and detainees
- The restoration of full Palestinian Authority control over the Rafah crossing and the rest of the border
- Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the Philadelphi Corridor
- An immediate, unconditional and unrestricted delivery of humanitarian assistance on a large scale through the opening of all Israeli crossings
- Full support to the efforts of UNRWA and other UN agencies
- The implementation of the orders of the International Court of Justice
- The officials also warned against the dangerous escalation in the West Bank and called for an immediate halt to military attacks against Palestinians.
They condemned all illegal measures that undermine peace efforts, including settlement activities, land confiscation, and the displacement of Palestinians.
The meeting highlighted the significance of preserving the current legal and historical status quo in the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and stressed the Hashemite Custodianship’s pivotal role in this regard.
New Agenda
According to the statement, the international community must take active steps to implement the following demands:
- The two-state solution
- Full recognition of the State of Palestine
- Palestine’s admission as a full member of the United Nations.
- They emphasized that the recognition is a key element of this new agenda for peace and mutual recognition of both Palestine and Israel.
- Furthermore, they unanimously shed light on the necessity of holding an international peace conference as soon as possible.
Another Broader Meeting
At the end, the participants called on the parties and all the members of the United Nations to join the broader meeting on “The situation in Gaza and the implementation of the two-State solution as the path to a just and comprehensive peace”, on the sidelines of the next session of the UN General Assembly on 26th September 2024.
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