Palestine question-Report of the OIC FM Conference on the OPT-Letter from Jordan

Note verbale dated 8 August 1980 from the Permanent Representative

of Jordan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

The Permanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United Nations presents his compliments to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and has the honour to enclose herewith, in Arabic, English and French, the general report (annex I), the final declaration (annex II) and the resolution on the Palestinian question (annex III) adopted by the Islamic Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs at its second extraordinary session, held at Amman, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, on 11 and 12 July 1980.

As a representative of the host country to the Conference and at the request of the members of the Islamic Conference, the Permanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United Nations would greatly appreciate it if the enclosed documents could be circulated as an official document of the General Assembly, under item 26 of the provisional agenda, and of the Security Council.

*A/35/150.

ANNEX I

ORGANISATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE

Second Extraordinary Session of Ministers of

Foreign Affairs

Amman, 28 to 29 Shabban, 1400H

(11 to 12 July, 1980)

IOFM/EOS/2-80/JC(FINAL).

GENERAL REPORT

OF THE

SECOND EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF THE ISLAMIC

CONFERENCE OF FOREIGN MINISTERS HELD IN AMMAN, HASHEMITE

KINGDOM OF JORDAN FROM 28 TO 29 SHABBAN, 1400H(11-12 JULY, 1980).

ICFM/EOS/2-80/JC

GENERAL REPORT

THE EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF THE ISLAMIC

CONFERENCE OF FOREIGN MINISTERS ON CONDITIONS

IN OCCUPIED PALESTINE.

At the request of the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, and in response to the invitation addressed by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers met in Amman on 28 and 29 Sha'aban 1400H, corresponding to 11 and 12 July/Tamouz 1980, to consider the current situation in occupied Palestine.

The Session was attended by delegations of the following member states.

 1. Algerian Democratic and Popular Republic

 2. State of Bahrain

 3. People's Republic of Bangladesh

 4. United Republic of Cameroun

 5. Republic of Gabon

 6. Republic of the Gambia

 7. Revolutionary Republic of Guinea

 8. Republic of Indonesia

 9. Islamic Republic of Iran

10. Republic of Iraq

11. Republic of Djibouti

12. Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

13. State of Kuwait

14. Republic of Lebanon

15. Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah

16. Malaysia

17. Republic of Mali

18. Islamic Republic of Mauritania

19. Kingdom of Morocco

20. Republic of Niger

35. Democratic and Popular Republic of Yemen

The following attended as observers:

 1. Federal Republic of Nigeria

 2. League of Arab States

 3. Rabitat Al Alam Al Islami

 4. Mr. Raouf Dinktash, President of the

    Turkish Community of Ki???ris.

 5. Mo'tamar Al Alam Al Islami

 6. Moro National Liberation Front

 7. Da'wa Islamiya Society

 8. The World Assembly of Muslim Youths

 9. Islamic States Broadcasting Organisation

10. International Islamic News Agency.

At the opening ceremony of the Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, His Excellency King Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan delivered an opening address in which His Majesty outlined the framework of Islamic action, in the light of the current disastrous developments in the Palestinian question.

His Majesty pointed out that Zionism was proceeding with the implementation of its conspiracies, bringing in Zionist fanatics from all over the world, and settling them in Palestine, the pulsating ???  of Arabism and Islam. He also pointed out that the tragedy was being aggravated, by the absence of a unified Arab and Islamic stand, and the lack of a clear-out comprehensive strategy. With such a strategy, Arabs and Muslims could mobilize their potentials and proceed on the path that would lead to the recovery of their land and their Holy places.

Stressing the Islamic and Arab Character of Palestine, His Majesty added that this meeting was held at the apex of Israeli challenges levelled at Muslims, and of its illegal and inhuman practices.  It persisted in overt eviction and coercion of the Palestinian people and was actively perpetuating its policy of defacing, obliterating and judaization of Islamic civilization, and annexation of Arab territories.

His Majesty stated that the liberation of the occupied Arab territories was the fundamental prerequisite for a just peace and restoring Jerusalem to Arab sovereignty was the key to a just solution of the whole issue, since Jerusalem and Palestine represented the joint cultural heritage of Arabs and Muslims.

In conclusion, His Majesty said: "The greatest challenge confronting the Muslim Ummah lies, there, in Palestine and around it, should awake in the hearts of the true believers, the will to sacrifice and struggle" and to toil.

On behalf of the Arab, Asian and African countries, the Heads of the delegations of Algeria, Indonesia and Nigeria delivered addresses in reply to the Royal address. They expressed their thanks and gratitude to His Majesty and to the Government and people of Jordan.

The Chairman of the Eleventh Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, His Excellency Mr. Agha Shahi, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan informed the extraordinary session of the Security Council meeting from 24 to 30 June, 1980, which was convened under the mandate of the Eleventh Session. He referred to his statement at the Security Council made of behalf of the 39 member states, which called upon the Security Council to declare the annulment of any Israeli measures purporting to alter the legal status and historical character of Al Quds Al Sharif and in the event of continued defiance by Israel to impose against it the sanctions stipulated in Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. He had also informed the Security Council of the commitment of member states of the Islamic Conference to severance of diplomatic relations with any country promoting the Israeli design to annex Al Quds Al Sharif by recognising the Holy City as the Israeli capital.

His Excellency Mr. Agha Shahi raised the question: Are the Palestinians to wait indefinitely while Israel proceeds inexorably with its plans of annexation of the Palestinian homeland and Al Quds Al Sharif, for the world to generate the necessary pressure to move Israel towards the establishment of lasting peace based on recognition of the national rights of the Palestinian people? He said that the Islamic world was not without the means of persuading the supporters of Israel to exert themselves to compel a change in the colonial and expansionist policies of Israel. However, he stated that the political and economic strategy towards compelling Israel to vacate its aggression and occupation, would continue to elude the Islamic world unless it was able to forge the unity of will and action necessary for the recovery of its historical, national and Islamic rights from Zionist usurpation.

He briefly apprised the extraordinary session of the activities of the Standing Committee of Islamic Conference on Afghanistan and its readiness to enter into a dialogue with the Kabul authorities to be represented through their political party, and within the framework of the relevant resolution of the Islamic Conference. The Committee had made it clear that a political solution must be based on the aspirations of the Afghan people and respect for the national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, under a government acceptable to its people and pledged to a policy of non-alignment and friendship with all its neighbours.

His Excellency Habib Al Shatti, Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference then took the floor to deliver his speech. He said the fierce onslaught waged against the Palestinian people bore witness to the terrorism that had characterised Zionism, since the forties. This onslaught was part of a plan devised by Israeli authorities in collaboration with world Zionism.

He added that the Zionist occupation authorities were currently engaged in a race against time to implement the settlement and Judaization policies as soon as possible, because they expected the failure of the so-called autonomy being presently negotiated by the Camp David Parties. The Israeli authorities were aware that the Palestine Arabs unanimously rejected that autonomy. They also sensed the increasing Israeli isolation within the international arena and the cooling of support forthcoming from traditionally sympathetic groups. Furthermore, the Zionist government regarded the American elections as providing a propitious opportunity, that might not recur, to implement its settlement policy.

He indicated that the world at large was aware of the existence of extremist and terrorist organisations whose establishment was approved and encouraged by the Israeli authorities, seeking to create an irreversible fait accompli. Such acts could only be countered by devising effective measures of a caliber similar to that of the designs of the Zionist enemy. The issue was extremely dangerous and they could not ignore the fact that what was happening in southern Lebanon was only part of the Israeli plan which sought to shake the stability of the whole region.

He added that hundreds of resolutions adopted by one organisation or another could never restore an inch of Palestinian territory unless they were implemented.

This grave situation made incumbent upon them to work out practical measures whereby to foil the fearful Zionist design and make the supporters of the enemy realize the gravity of the dangers looming over the world as a result of the new situation created by Israel in the occupied territories.

The whole world sympathizes with the rights of the Palestinian people, with the exception of the United States, which found in an Arab regime, not only a support for its unconditional pro-Israeli policy but also for Begin's criminal streak which is supported by the United States more than by the Zionist circles in Israel itself.

After his election as Chairman of the extraordinary session, the Foreign Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Mr. Marwan El Kassem delivered a speech in which he said that the main concern of this conference, as of past conferences, was to liberate Al Quds and the occupied Arab land. This was the reaction they wished to convey the following the measures taken by Israeli in Al Quds, namely to annex it and make it the Israeli capital. It was also their reaction to events in the occupied Arab territories: terrorism, eviction, establishment of settlements and judaisation action was called for, and not resolutions which seemed to have become their sole objective.

He stressed the efforts exerted by Jordan's efforts to consolidate Arab resistance in the occupied Arab territories, and his Country's successful attempts at the international level to bring about a favourable change in the attitude of some states.

The Jordanian Foreign Minister emphasised the need for a unified Arab stand based on clear principles, that could express their aims which should

rely for their achievement on their inherent strength. The conference resumed its meetings in camera and elected two vice chairmen: His Excellency the Foreign Minister of Indonesia as First Vice-Chairman, and His Excellency the Foreign Minister of Niger as Second Vice-Chairman.

It was a tradition for the Chairman of the ordinary session to be the rapporteur of the following session. However, the rapporteur yielded his post to the Palestine Liberation Organisation since the extraordinary session was devoted to the Palestinian question and was convened at the request of the Chairman of the executive committee of the organisation adding that it was an expression by Pakistan of its solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle.

The conference then considered its agenda and the Chairman pointed out that it was a one item agenda: the new situation in occupied Palestine and the

measures which must be taken to deal with it.

According to the provisions of the rules of procedure of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference which stipulate: "The Agenda of the Extraordinary Sessions is limited to items for which the Conference was called to convene," the Conference adopted its agenda.

The Chairman called for views on the membership of the Drafting Committee, and the Conference elected Jordan as Chairman and the following countries as members:

– The Palestine Liberation Organisation

– Senegal

– Pakistan

– Guinea

– Mali

– Syria

– Iraq.

It was stated that the Drafting Committee was open to all delegations and the committee was requested to meet in order to discuss the draft resolutions prior to their presentation to the Plenary.

At the proposal of the Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed, the Conference unanimously agreed, by acclamation to consider the Address of His Majesty King Hussein an official document of the Conference.

During the general debate, the heads of delegations reviewed the current situation in Palestine and the other occupied Arab territories and condemned the recent Israeli measures and repressive practices, in particular events in Al Quds. They considered that these practices and procedures were dangerous escalation by the Zionist enemy of a critical situation and a flagrant violation of all international and Islamic Charters and resolutions. Effective measures were called for.

The Conference also heard statements by the militant brothers Fahd El Kawasma, Mayor of Hebron, Mohammad Hassan Malham, Sheikh Ragab El Tamimi, Kadi Shari'i of Hebron, who explained in detail to the members of the Conference the drastic conditions endured by the Palestinian people and the fascist racist practices to which they were subjected, reaffirming that the Palestinian people rejected the autonomy conspiracy and the designs of the parties to the Camp David Accords. They called upon Islamic States and peoples to shoulder their responsibilities in full in respect of the primary cause of the Islamic Ummah, that of Palestine, and take the measures likely to ensure the steadfast stand of the Palestinian people and safeguard their Holy Places.

Dr. Zuhair Malhas, the Jordian Minister of Health, addressing the Conference on behalf of the Ministers of Health of the East Mediterranean region, emphasized the need for a sustained action to secure the transfer of the regional office of the World Health Organisation from Alexandria to Amman, reaffirming the determination of the Ministers of Health to follow up the matter at international level, the Egyptian regime having involved itself in the Camp David conspiracy.   

At the conclusion of its deliberations, the Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Conference adopted a resolution on the Palestinian question, which provided for the following:

1. It reaffirmed the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people, in particular their right to return to their homeland and recover their properties, their right to self-determination without external interference, their right to exercise freely their sovereignty over the territory of their homeland, and establish their independent state an their national soil.

2. It reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian people to pursue their legitimate struggle and recover their national inalienable rights, under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, inside and outside the occupied homeland.

3. It emphasized that just peace in the Middle East area could not be achieved unless the Palestinian people could exercise their national inalienable rights and the Israeli enemy withdraw from all the Palestinian and Arab occupied territories, including the holy city of Jerusalem.

4. It reaffirmed that all official and systematic terrorist policies and practices, the settlement measures, the judaization of Jerusalem, oppression, terrorism, assassination, imprisonment and eviction raised a challenge to the will of the Islamic nation, and constituted a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

5. It emphasized the principle of Islamic solidarity in the face of Zionist aggression.

6. It considered the Camp David Agreements and the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty as a conspiracy against the future of Jerusalem and the occupied Arab territories These Agreements and Treaty should be rejected and countered as well as any unilateral and partial solutions of the Palestinian question.

In respect of Al Quds the Conference reaffirmed resolution No.4/11/P adopted at Islamabad Conference and emphasized the commitment of all Islamic peoples and states to their legitimate sacred right to the city of Al Quds Al Sharif, and their proposal to sever relations with any country that supported the decision of the Israeli enemy to annex Jerusalem and declare it its capital.

It called upon countries which had established their diplomatic missions in Jerusalem to transfer them elsewhere. In case of their non-compliance, the Islamic countries would consider at their Twelfth Conference, the measures to be applied to these countries, including the severing of diplomatic relations.

It also condemned the persistence of Israeli authorities in their continuous aggressions on archaeological sites and Holy Places in the city, in  its excavation operations and in its attempts at changing their Arab Islamic character.

It urged member states to cover the capital of the Jerusalem Fund and to allocate the necessary funds to the Waqf of the Fund.

In the field of practical measures, the Conference declared that it considered illegal all Israeli policies and practices in occupied Palestine and as such, null and void. It strongly condemned Israel for its continuous aggression on Lebanon and called for the implementation of the Security Council resolutions in this respect.

The Conference declared that policies of terrorism, coercion, assassination, imprisonment and establishment of settlements carried out by the Israeli enemy to Judaize Palestine and the declaration of Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Zionist entity – constituted a war crime that called for drastic and immediate measures.

The Conference stressed the commitment of Islamic states to support the Palestinian people so as to secure their presence in their own land, and to allocate part of the Zakat Sharia to the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

The extraordinary session decided to pursue its endeavours in all fields and on the widest international scope at all international organisations to canvas as much recognition as possible for material rights of the Palestinian people and the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

The Conference called upon the forthcoming Special Session of the UN General Assembly devoted to Palestine to implement its resolutions in this regard, including the imposition of sanctions on the Zionist entity.

The Conference called upon the European countries to suspend the application of its economic agreements with Israel in implementation of its pledge to desist from applying these agreements in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories.

The Conference also appealed to 12 countries throughout the world to refrain from extending any aid to Israel, unless it responded to Security Council Resolutions 446 and 465.

It called upon all the Islamic States to join the Arab boycott movement and coordinate their efforts in this regard with other Third World countries.

The Conference condemned the United States for it support to the Israeli occupation authorities in their settlement and aggression policies.

It called upon member states to lodge an official complaint with the United States for its policy in favouring Israel and denying the Palestinian people their national rights.

The Conference recommended that the Secretary General draw up a list of countries which extend political, economic and/or military aid to the Israeli entity whether directly or indirectly, to be submitted to the Extraordinary Session of the Conference which will be held in September 1980 at the U.N.

Finally, the Conference decided that the Foreign Ministers of the Islamic Countries should attend the special session of the U.N. General Assembly.

At the end of the Conference a cable was sent to His Majesty King Hussein bin Talal, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and his government, thanking them for hosting the Conference and for their generous

hospitality.