OIC’s Position on Palestine Is Consistent

Palestine and Jerusalem have always been central to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); they play a vital role in bringing member states together in their efforts to put an end to the Israeli occupation. OIC is dedicated to safeguarding the critical interests of Muslims worldwide as well as the larger problems of the Islamic world.

The OIC headquarters are in Jeddah, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is the center of the Islamic world and the location of the two Holy Mosques and holy sites. Across four continents, the group includes 57 member nations. King Hassan II of Morocco called the inaugural meeting of the Islamic Summit Conference in Rabat, Morocco, in September 1969.

King Faisal bin Abdulaziz had called for the summit after the horrific attempt to burn down the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The creation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, formerly known as the Organization of the Islamic Conference, was one of the conference’s most significant outcomes.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference’s highest body, the Conference of Kings and Presidents, meets every three years or more frequently when the interests of Muslim countries require it to discuss issues that affect the Muslim world and coordinate the organization’s policy in accordance with the Charter of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which representatives of the thirty founding nations signed in Jeddah in 1972.

OIC has convened more than 20 extraordinary and emergency foreign ministers’ meetings and 14 Islamic summits since its founding. On October 18, this year, Jerusalem hosted an urgent meeting to address Israeli crimes against Palestinians. The meeting condemned Israeli aggression and the siege of Gaza, emphasized the importance of the Palestinian issue, and supported Palestinian rights. The OIC rejected any attempt to force its citizens to leave Gaza and blamed Israel for the terrible conditions there caused by bombing and siege.

In accordance with international humanitarian law norms, the group demanded international protection for Palestinians and issued a warning against the increasing brutality of Israeli forces and settlers. Numerous regular, extraordinary, and emergency summits have focused on the Palestinian cause since the organization’s founding for the benefit of the Muslim world.

In February 1974, the Second Islamic Summit Conference took place in Lahore, Pakistan. The concluding statement from the summit expressed gratitude for the valiant sacrifices made by the Arab nations and the Palestinian people in the face of the Zionist aggressor.

Saudi Arabia has called for an extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit to be held tomorrow in Riyadh to address the ongoing Israeli aggression in Palestinian territories and in Lebanon, as well as other regional developments, given its significant role in the Muslim world and its longstanding commitment to serving Muslims.

The joint Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh last year served as the foundation for this conference. When it comes to the Palestinian problem, OIC has continuously taken a strong and uncompromising stand. It keeps calling on the international community to carry out its obligations and end the war.

It highlights the Arab Peace Initiative as a crucial strategic decision, a momentous occasion, and a model for attaining a fair and complete settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Under the tenets of the Arab Peace Initiative and international law and resolutions, the organization’s dedication to peace is unwavering.