WANA (Mar 07) – ­Unified Opposition to Trump’s Plan at Iran’s Proposal and Saudi Arabia’s HostinUnified Opposition to Trump’s Plan at Iran’s Proposal and Saudi Arabia’s Hosting

 

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is holding an emergency meeting today, March 7, at Iran’s proposal, aiming to unify Muslim nations against the U.S. president’s plan for the forced displacement of Gaza’s population.

 

The idea of forcibly or “voluntarily” transferring Palestinians outside their historical homeland dates back to before the establishment of Israel in 1948. In the early 20th century, some Zionist leaders, including Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, implicitly suggested relocating native populations to create a Jewish state, though no concrete plan was outlined. However, explicit proposals emerged after the 1948 war and Israel’s establishment, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced during the Nakba (Catastrophe), many seeking refuge in neighboring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. While this displacement resulted from war, it was later regarded as a practical reality by some Israeli politicians.

 

Over the following decades, the idea of Palestinian transfer was occasionally revived by extremist Israeli figures as a solution to Israel’s “demographic problem.” In the 1980s, far-right Israeli politician Meir Kahane openly called for the expulsion of Palestinians to Arab countries. At various times, Israeli officials suggested relocating Palestinians to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula or Jordan, a concept known as the “Jordan Option.” These proposals faced strong opposition from Arab nations and the international community, as they were viewed as violations of Palestinian rights and the principle of self-determination.

 

During his first presidential term (2017-2021) and afterward, Donald Trump repeatedly proposed ideas that directly or indirectly hinted at the displacement of Palestinians from their land. However, this issue reached a climax in 2025 following his return to power. In January 2025, after a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, Trump introduced a controversial proposal calling for the gradual evacuation of Palestinians from Gaza and their resettlement in Arab countries like Egypt and Jordan. He justified this by claiming that Gaza, due to widespread destruction from Israeli attacks, was no longer habitable and that relocation could facilitate rebuilding under U.S. or Israeli supervision. Trump framed this plan with economic and security arguments, portraying Gaza as a potential “Mediterranean Riviera,” suggesting it could become a tourism and economic hub once depopulated. This perspective, deeply rooted in his real estate-driven mindset, overlooked the human and historical dimensions of the issue.

 

This proposal, widely condemned as ethnic cleansing, triggered fierce reactions. Arab nations targeted as potential hosts for displaced Palestinians firmly rejected it, viewing it as a threat to their identity and regional stability. For instance, in February 2025, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in a call with Trump, asserted that Egypt would never accept such a plan and urged a two-state solution. Similarly, Jordan’s King Abdullah described the proposal as a direct threat to national security, emphasizing that Jordan was already hoome to millions of Palestinian refugees and that the plan could destabilize the country. In response, Arab countries convened an emergency summit in Cairo in March 2025, proposing a $53 billion reconstruction plan for Gaza to prevent forced displacement.

 

An Emergency Meeting Proposed by Iran

Since the revival of the Zionist plan to forcibly remove Gaza’s population by the U.S. president, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has undertaken extensive diplomatic efforts to coordinate a unified Muslim response against the proposal. Over the course of a week, Araghchi engaged in phone consultations with his counterparts from Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Gambia, Malaysia, Algeria, and Saudi Arabia. The primary focus of these discussions was Tehran’s strong opposition to the forced displacement plan and the call for an emergency OIC meeting to address the issue.

 

Araghchi also spoke with the UN Secretary-General, stressing the need for a coordinated and unified Islamic stance to counter this grave scheme. He stated, “The forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza is not only a major crime tantamount to genocide but also poses severe consequences for regional and global stability. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation must urgently convene a special ministerial meeting to take a decisive and effective stand in defense of the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights.” As a result of these diplomatic initiatives, the OIC emergency session was scheduled at Iran’s request.

 

On March 5, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei appeared on national television to discuss the necessity, details, and agenda of the OIC meeting. He stated that the primary goal of this meeting is to draw the OIC’s attention—the most significant organization in the Islamic world—to a matter of utmost concern: the ongoing threat of genocide against Palestinians, particularly in Gaza.

 

He added that another key agenda item would be addressing the alarming developments in the West Bank. “The core mission of the OIC has always been the Palestinian cause. From its inception, the organization was founded to support the Palestinian people’s struggle for self-determination and liberation from occupation,” Baghaei emphasized.

 

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

 

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation was established on September 25, 1969, following the deliberate arson attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem by an Australian national, Denis Michael Rohan. This incident, which occurred on August 21, 1969, sparked outrage across the Muslim world and led to an Islamic summit in Rabat, Morocco, where leaders decided to form a permanent body for coordination and cooperation. The primary objective of the OIC was to protect the interests of the Islamic world, safeguard holy sites, and strengthen solidarity in facing shared challenges.

 

Initially known as the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the body retained this name until 2011. On June 28, 2011, during a foreign ministers’ meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, the name was changed to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to reflect a more modern and inclusive approach. The OIC’s permanent secretariat was established in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 1970, and the first foreign ministers’ meeting was held that same year.

 

Since its inception, the Palestinian issue has remained the central focus of the OIC. At the first Islamic Summit in Rabat (1969), leaders prioritized support for the Palestinian people and condemned Israeli occupation. This commitment continued in subsequent summits, including the second summit in Lahore (1974), which emphasized the right of Palestinian refugees to return, and the third summit in Mecca (1981), which developed an action plan to counter Israeli occupation.