WANA (Mar 08) – The Deputy for Legal and International Affairs at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs outlined the results of the emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states, convened to counter the forced displacement plan for the people of Gaza.

 

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, stated: “Following the proposal by the U.S. President regarding the forced displacement of Gaza residents, Iran’s Foreign Minister engaged in various contacts with his counterparts in several Islamic countries, the UN Secretary-General, and the Secretary-General of the OIC to counter this dangerous and inhumane policy. Subsequently, he formally requested an emergency meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers through a letter to the OIC Secretary-General.”

 

He added that the proposal was welcomed by OIC member states, leading to the meeting being held on Friday, March 7, in Jeddah in two parts: senior experts’ discussions and the foreign ministers’ session.

 

Prior to the ministerial session, a meeting of senior OIC experts took place, where the draft resolution on Palestine was reviewed, discussed, and agreed upon. Since Iran had submitted its proposed amendments in writing to the OIC Secretariat beforehand, a significant portion of these suggestions were incorporated into the draft resolution.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Secretary of Human Rights Headquarters in Iran. Social Media / WANA News AgencyOIC

Kazem Gharibabadi, Secretary of Human Rights Headquarters in Iran. Social Media / WANA News Agency

 

Key Provisions of the Adopted Palestine Resolution

According to Gharibabadi, the key points of the resolution passed by the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers included:

 

Affirming Palestine as a central cause for the Islamic community and providing unconditional support for Palestinians’ legitimate rights, including self-determination, independence, freedom, territorial sovereignty, and the right of return for all Palestinian refugees along with compensation.

 

Demanding the complete withdrawal of Israel from all occupied Palestinian territories.

 

Urging Israel to adhere to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, reopen border crossings, and ensure sufficient humanitarian access throughout Gaza.

 

Firmly rejecting any plan for the displacement of Palestinians, whether individually or collectively, both inside and outside their homeland, considering such actions as ethnic cleansing and genocide.

 

Condemning Israel’s starvation policy in Gaza as a means to force its residents to leave and denouncing Israel’s attempts to alter the demographic composition of occupied Palestinian territories.

 

Calling for an end to Israeli policies of annexation, illegal settlement construction, home demolitions, land confiscation, and destruction of infrastructure.

 

Holding Israel accountable for war crimes and acts of genocide against Palestinians, including extensive destruction, human suffering, and the devastation of residential areas, infrastructure, and civilian facilities.

 

Urging Islamic countries, international organizations, and other states to provide substantial aid for Gaza’s reconstruction.

 

Calling for the establishment of an international fund to support orphaned children in Gaza.

 

Demanding pressure on Israel to halt occupation and illegal settlement activities in occupied Palestinian territories.

 

Condemning all criminal actions by Israel and the extremist, racist statements of Israeli ministers.

 

Emphasizing legal accountability and prosecution of those responsible for crimes against Palestinians through national and international judicial mechanisms.

 

Calling on all states to implement the two advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the end of occupation, urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) to complete its investigations into Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity, and requesting sanctions on Israel to enforce compliance with international law.

 

Condemning Israeli actions against UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees).

 

Urging the international community to increase recognition of the Palestinian state and support its full UN membership.

 

Denouncing enforced disappearances, repression, and torture in Israeli prisons and calling for an independent, transparent investigation into Israeli crimes against Palestinian detainees.

 

Strongly condemning Israeli policies aimed at Judaizing Jerusalem and altering its Arab identity.

 

Reiterating the need for a ceasefire in Lebanon and the full withdrawal of Israel from Lebanese territories to internationally recognized borders.

 

Denouncing Israeli aggression against Syrian territory and calling on the UN Security Council to take immediate action to halt Israeli hostilities and ensure Israel’s withdrawal from occupied Syrian territories.

 

Urging all arms-supplying countries to ban weapon sales and transfers to Israel.

 

Iran’s Key Additions to the Resolution

Gharibabadi highlighted that, due to Iranian efforts, several significant clauses were included in the resolution, notably:

 

A call for global sanctions against Israel.

 

A request for the OIC Secretary-General to report on steps taken to implement sanctions against Israel and measures for establishing a documentation unit for sanctions to be used in legal and judicial proceedings.

 

An emphasis on mobilizing international support to suspend Israel’s participation in the UN General Assembly, its affiliated bodies, and the UN Commission on the Status of Women, alongside drafting a resolution for the UN General Assembly to highlight Israel’s violations of the UN Charter and its threat to international peace and security.

 

Iran’s Conditional Positions on Certain Clauses

Iran’s delegation also articulated its principled stance on three specific points in the resolution:

 

1. Rejection of the two-state solution as the fundamental framework for resolving the Palestinian issue, advocating instead for a free referendum involving all Palestinians inside and outside the territories.

 

2. Non-recognition of Israel as a legitimate “state” and insistence on its colonial, apartheid, and occupying nature.

 

3. The need to consider the aspirations and concerns of all Palestinians in any proposed plan and support Palestinian national unity based on broad Palestinian consensus.

 

Iran emphasized that ending Israeli crimes and aggression is the most effective way to support Palestinians.

 

The Issue of Syria’s OIC Membership

During the extraordinary session, some OIC members requested discussions on lifting Syria’s suspension from the OIC, a proposal that was approved.

Iran’s delegation expressed hope that this decision would enhance peace, stability, and security in Syria and lead to the establishment of an inclusive government that serves all Syrians.

Gharibabadi reiterated that Iran had opposed Syria’s suspension from the OIC in 2012 and, given ongoing Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, emphasized Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Iran called for a unified Islamic stance to end the occupation of Syrian land and counter Israeli expansionism in the region.