The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries discussed on Monday regional and international developments, calling on the United Nations Security Council to take a binding decision on under Chapter 7 of its Charter ensuring compliance by Israeli forces with a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
The move would also ensure an end to the “genocide in Gaza and forced displacement of the Palestinian people, the entry of humanitarian aid, and the restoration of normal life” in the coastal enclave, said the GCC Ministerial Council following its 164th session in Kuwait.
The council stressed its support for the Palestinian people in Gaza and its commitment “to easing their suffering, ending the Israeli blockade, opening all crossings for the entry of humanitarian and relief aid and basic needs, and ensuring their continued access.”
It condemned the Israeli authorities' announcement of the establishment of an agency targeting the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
It stressed its rejection of any attempts to displace the residents of Gaza and the need to respect the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state on their land, warning against any plans aimed at infringing on their inalienable rights.
Moreover, the council held Israel “fully responsible for the ongoing violations and attacks on Gaza, which have resulted in the killing of tens of thousands of civilians, mostly women and children.”
It deemed the attacks “war crimes and crimes against humanity under international humanitarian law,” dismissing Israeli claims that it is acting in self-defense.
The council slammed the practices of the Israeli authorities and their policy of collective punishment against the residents of Gaza, calling on the international community to take the necessary measures to counter such actions.
The council stressed its support for the efforts of the international coalition to implement the two-state solution, and its support for Saudi Arabia’s efforts, in partnership with Norway and the European Union, to set a timetable for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and end the Israeli occupation.
It underlined the importance of participation in the high-level international conference to reach a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and implement the two-state solution, scheduled to be held at the United Nations headquarters in New York in June and co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.
The council underscored the centrality of the Palestinian issue, the end of the Israeli occupation, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital in line with the Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions.
It stressed support for the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over all occupied Palestinian territories, and emphasized “the need to intensify cooperation with international and regional powers and redouble the efforts of the international community to resolve the conflict in a manner that fulfils all the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people.”
The Ministerial Council called on all countries to take the necessary measures to recognize the State of Palestine and support the national rights of the Palestinian people.
It also stressed “the importance of national reconciliation to restore Palestinian national unity and bring about unity to achieve the interests of the Palestinian people.”
Furthermore, it called on the international community “to intervene to stop the targeting of the Palestinian presence in the city of Jerusalem, the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes, attempts to change its legal and historical character, its demographic composition, and the arrangements related to Islamic holy sites, and attempts to impose Israeli sovereignty over it in clear violation of international law, international resolutions, and existing agreements concluded in this regard.”
It highlighted the importance of the statement of the Extraordinary Arab Summit (Palestine Summit) regarding the deployment of international protection and peacekeeping forces in the Palestinian territories in Gaza and the West Bank, pursuant to a Security Council resolution.
It also welcomed the reform measures taken by the Palestinian leadership and the appointment of Hussain Al-Sheikh as Vice President of the State of Palestine and Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
