Palestinian Foreign Minister Farsin Shaheen said on Wednesday that the Arab-Islamic ministerial meeting hosted by Amman is "highly significant" as it comes at what she described as "one of the darkest periods" facing the occupied Palestinian territories.
اضافة اعلان
She said the meeting's distinguishing feature was the adoption of institutional and sustainable mechanisms to document alleged Israeli violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, with the aim of strengthening political and legal efforts to hold Israel accountable.
Shaheen said the meeting reflected a unified Arab and Islamic position in support of Jerusalem and its Palestinian residents, amid continued Israeli actions in Jerusalem, expanding settlements in the West Bank, and the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
She said Israel continues to consolidate its control through deeper occupation of the West Bank, maintaining its presence in Gaza, and treating Jerusalem as part of the State of Israel.
She said these developments underscore the need for a unified Arab and Islamic position in defense of Jerusalem, adding that while violations in the city are not new, they have reached an unprecedented level of escalation.
According to Shaheen, the meeting produced a clear message rejecting Israeli actions and supporting the resilience of Jerusalem's Palestinian residents.
Participants also agreed on three main areas of action for the coming period:
Continuing to document Israeli violations and present them before the international community, with emphasis on their direct impact on Palestinians' lives and future.
Strengthening the resilience of Palestinians in Jerusalem through health, education, and cultural projects that help preserve their presence in the city and maintain Palestinian identity.
Intensifying Arab and international political and diplomatic efforts to mobilize greater support for the Palestinian cause.
Shaheen said the newly established institutional mechanism aims to collect information and documentation related to alleged Israeli violations into a unified database, enabling the submission of documented case files to the international community and international institutions.
She argued that while the world is increasingly aware of these developments, systematic documentation would strengthen efforts to pursue accountability.
She also said that the international community bears legal, moral, political, and economic responsibilities toward the occupied Palestinian territories and called on states to take practical measures to stop Israeli actions.
She stressed the importance of continued support for the Hashemite Custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, citing concerns over developments at Al-Aqsa Mosque, including what she described as attempts to impose temporal and spatial division arrangements and an increase in incursions and Talmudic prayers.
On internal Palestinian affairs, Shaheen said the Palestinian leadership continues to work toward Palestinian unity.
She noted that President Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly called for unifying Palestinian ranks under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which he regards as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and said any group wishing to participate in political life should be part of the organization.
Shaheen also rejected the Israeli characterization of the conflict as a religious one, arguing that it is fundamentally a political and legal issue concerning territory occupied under international law.
She added that East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967, is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories, a position she said has been affirmed by the International Court of Justice.
She urged the international community to adopt stronger measures toward Israel, including sanctions against settlers involved in acts of violence and firmer positions on settlements and settlement products. She argued that, in the absence of accountability, Israel has continued its policies with impunity.
Shaheen concluded by emphasizing the importance of the United Nations General Assembly meetings scheduled for next September, describing them as a key opportunity to bring renewed international attention to the Palestinian issue, the war in Gaza, developments in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and efforts to build broader international support for Palestinian rights.
On Wednesday, Jordan hosted a ministerial meeting in support of Jerusalem and its holy sites.
The meeting brought together the foreign ministers of the Arab states serving on the ministerial committee tasked with international action against Israeli policies and measures in occupied Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, along with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and the foreign ministers or representatives of Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, and Malaysia.
