The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has rejected on Israeli plans to fully occupy Gaza, calling for pressure on Tel Aviv to stop its actions against Palestinians in the enclave.
In a final statement on Monday following an emergency ministerial meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the OIC strongly condemned Israeli plans “to impose full occupation and military control over the Gaza Strip,” and rejected “any schemes, regardless of their nature, aimed to displace the Palestinian people forcibly.”
The grouping held Israel “completely responsible for the ongoing war and the deliberate disregard of appeasement initiatives” over its refusal to respond to the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas.
“The proposal was likely to result in an important and pivotal deal to release both the hostages and captives, achieve a ceasefire, and ensure the effective entry of urgent humanitarian assistance to address the humanitarian disaster in Gaza,” it said.
The OIC also rejected recent statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on so-called "Greater Israel” as “an extension of extremist rhetoric, incitement, and aggression against the sovereignty of states,” and a violation of international law and the UN Charter.
“Greater Israel” is a Biblical term used in Israeli politics to refer to the expansion of Israel’s territory to include the West Bank, Gaza, Syria’s Golan Heights, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, and parts of Jordan.
The OIC accused Israel of undermining the two-state solution by approving a major settlement project called E1, which splits the occupied West Bank into two parts and isolates the occupied East Jerusalem.
The Islamic bloc also denounced Israel’s deliberate targeting of journalists and media professionals in Gaza.
“These actions constitute a war crime and an assault on press freedom,” the OIC said.
It called on all states “to take all possible legal and effective measures,” including imposing sanctions, suspending arms shipments, and reviewing diplomatic and economic relations, “to prevent it from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people.”
The statement urged the UN Security Council to immediately act in line with its “legal and humanitarian responsibilities under Chapter VII” to stop Israeli assaults and violations against Palestinians.
Israel has killed more than 62,700 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military offensive has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
