OIC to Host 2024 International Symposium on Al-Quds in Jeddah 

The Dome of the Rock shrine is lit up at dusk at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, East Jerusalem, March 21, 2023. (AFP)
The Dome of the Rock shrine is lit up at dusk at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, East Jerusalem, March 21, 2023. (AFP)
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OIC to Host 2024 International Symposium on Al-Quds in Jeddah 

The Dome of the Rock shrine is lit up at dusk at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, East Jerusalem, March 21, 2023. (AFP)
The Dome of the Rock shrine is lit up at dusk at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, East Jerusalem, March 21, 2023. (AFP)

The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) will host the 2024 International Symposium on the Question of Al-Quds.

The theme of the symposium is “Al-Quds and the Gaza War: Palestinian Identity and Existence Under Threat of Erasure.” The symposium will take place on Monday at the OIC's headquarters in Jeddah, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.

The symposium aims to shed light on the Israel’s policies of forced displacement and confiscation of Palestinian property in Jerusalem through the intensification of Judaization. These actions will be placed in the broader context of similar illegal activities occurring in other parts of the occupied Palestinian territory.

Special focus will be given to the ongoing Israeli war in the Gaza Strip, the mass forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population, and other violations of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law.

The symposium will also show joint support for international efforts to halt the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and initiate an irreversible political process to end the Israeli occupation.

The goal is to achieve a just, comprehensive, lasting peace based on international law and relevant UN resolutions. This includes advocating for the independence of the State of Palestine on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The program of the 2024 International Symposium on the Question of Al-Quds includes an opening session featuring speeches from the OIC Secretary-General, representatives of Saudi Arabia, the State of Palestine, the United Nations, and the Chairman of CEIRPP.

There will be a panel discussion titled "Al-Quds in the Shadow of the War on Gaza: Challenges to Peace and Security in the Region and Beyond," which will include the participation of four experts from Jerusalem.



Saudi Arabia Condemns Israeli Approval of Settlement Expansion in West Bank

The flag of Saudi Arabia. Asharq Al-Awsat
The flag of Saudi Arabia. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia Condemns Israeli Approval of Settlement Expansion in West Bank

The flag of Saudi Arabia. Asharq Al-Awsat
The flag of Saudi Arabia. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia condemned on Saturday the approval by Israel’s security cabinet to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank.

A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “the Kingdom firmly rejects the continuous Israeli violations of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy.”

It also cautioned about “the severe consequences of the practices of the Israeli occupation authorities, given the lack of international accountability.”

The ministry said the Israeli violations undermine the prospects for peace and exacerbate conflicts, destabilizing the region and the world.