Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha delivered a speech at the opening session of the open-ended emergency meeting of the OIC Executive Committee at the level of Permanent Representatives regarding the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and the targeting of holy sites in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly the Ibrahimi Mosque in Al-Khalil (Hebron).
The meeting was held today at the headquarters of the OIC General Secretariat.
The Secretary-General stated that this meeting was held to discuss a new Israeli attack on the Islamic identity of Palestinian cities, represented by the withdrawal of administrative and historical powers over the Ibrahimi Mosque from the Palestinian side.
This attack represents one episode in a series of Israeli aggressions against the Ibrahimi Mosque since the occupation of the city on June 8, 1967.
Taha affirmed that the OIC rejects and warns against the danger of the Israeli occupation’s plans aimed at imposing full control over the Ibrahimi Mosque in Al-Khalil, Judaizing it, and altering its identity and historical landmarks.
He added that the OIC also condemns the blatant attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the bombing of churches and mosques in Gaza in flagrant violation of human values and international conventions. He noted that all these measures aimed at Judaizing the city of Al-Quds and isolating it from its Palestinian surroundings are illegitimate and invalid under international law and United Nations resolutions.
In his address before the permanent representatives of the Member States, the Secretary-General emphasized that the continuation of this unprecedented humanitarian crisis constitutes a war crime, a stain on the entire humanity, and a violation of the principles of justice and human dignity.
He called for the need to multiply international efforts to pressure the Israeli occupation to achieve a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire, open all crossings, allow the entry of humanitarian aid, and ensure a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
He also emphasized the need to enable the Palestinian government to assume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip and begin the reconstruction process.
This emergency meeting of the OIC’s Executive Committee, at the level of permanent representatives, is being held amid the unprecedented worsening of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ongoing crimes of genocide, starvation, and forced displacement perpetrated by the Israeli occupation and the escalation of Israeli attacks on both Islamic and Christian places of worship.
