Mideast situation/Palestine question – Thirty-second Islamic Conf. of Foreign Ministers – Final communiqué

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10. The Conference reiterated that the cause of Al-Quds Al-Sharif is the central cause of the Islamic World and stressed the necessity of countering the perils of judaization to which the sacred city is subjected as a consequence of the policies and measures carried out by the Israeli occupation authorities aimed at isolating Al-Quds Al-Sharif from the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories by building the racist-separation wall, confiscating lands, demolishing houses and expanding colonies around the holy city. The Conference invited the Member States to support and strengthen the potential of the steadfastness of Palestinian cities in the occupied city of Al-Quds.

11. The Conference affirmed its full support and backing for the Palestinian people in strengthening their national unity and unifying their internal front; and expressed its support for the Palestinian national dialogue efforts and for its steadfastness in the face of the practices of Israeli occupation authorities

12. The Conference constituted an Islamic Ministerial Committee headed by the Kingdom of Morocco in its capacity as Chair of Al-Quds Committee, and membership of Malaysia, Chair of the 10^th Islamic Summit; Senegal, Chair of the next Islamic Summit; Republic of Turkey, Chair of the 31^st ICFM; Republic of Yemen, Chair of the 32^nd ICFM; the State of Palestine and the General Secretariat of the OIC. This Committee shall carry out contact with the European Union, USA, the Russian Federation, the UN Secretary-General, the Members of the Security Council and the Vatican in order to state the dangers which threaten the holy city and to seek implementation of the UN resolutions on the occupied city of Al-Quds.

13. The Conference affirmed the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation of the Arab and Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including Eastern Al-Quds, the occupied Syrian Golan and the other occupied Lebanese territories.

14. The Conference affirmed the necessity of reaching a just solution to the Palestinian issue in all its aspects on the basis of international law and legitimacy and the terms of reference agreed upon, embodied in the relevant UN resolutions, the principle of land for peace and the inadmissibility of acquisition of others’ territory by force, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Roadmap, such as to enable the Palestinian people to achieve their national independence and exercise their sovereignty in their Palestinian State and its capital Al-Quds Al-Sharif.

15. The Conference affirmed the illegality of the Israeli laws and practices in Eastern Al-Quds, aimed at annexing, judaizing and changing the demographic constitution of the city. It requested States and international institutions and bodies to abide by international resolutions on the City of Al-Quds as an integral part of the Palestinian and Arab territories occupied in 1967; and called on them also to not participate in any meeting or activity that serves Israel's objectives in establishing its occupation and annexation of the Holy City.

16. The Conference reaffirmed the necessity of finding a just solution to the problem of Palestinian refugees in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy, particularly UN General Assembly Resolution 194 (1948), and reiterated its rejection of all forms of resettlement.

17. The Conference called upon the QUARTET to resume serious work in order to achieve just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East in accordance with the Roadmap and the Arab Peace Initiative, and to affirm that any Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip and parts of Northern West Bank should be complete and a step toward full Israeli withdrawal to the line of 1967, under the Roadmap and a first step toward its implementation, which will require similar steps to be taken all over the West Bank. The Conference emphasized the Palestinian territorial unity and integrity, including Eastern Al-Quds, rejected any changes in the legal status of only a part of this territory, excluded the option of a State with temporary borders, and stressed, on the other hand, the need to agree on the final form of comprehensive resolution and settlement.

18. The Conference affirmed its condemnation of Israel for continuing to colonize the Palestinian territories through all forms of settlement activity, and requested the UN Security Council to work toward their immediate ending and prohibition and to remove the existing Israeli settlements in accordance with UNSC Resolution 465 and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice. The Conference called on the UN Security Council also to reinvigorate the International supervisory and Monitoring Committee in order to prevent settlement in al-Quds and the occupied Arab territories in accordance with UNSC Resolution 446.

19. The Conference called on the Member States to commemorate the criminal attempt to burn down the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and to dedicate the twenty-first of August every year as the Day of Islamic Solidarity with Al-Quds and Palestine.

20. The Conference requested the international community to counter the construction of the wall and its damaging impacts on the Palestinian people and their land, waters and borders, and the need to stop the construction of the wall and removing the existing parts thereof. It invited all States of the world to impose punitive measures against the bodies and companies contributing to the construction of the wall and against settlers, settlement products and all those making profit of any settlement activity on the occupied Palestinian territories, including Al-Quds, in implementation of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice and the UN General Assembly Resolution ES-10/15.

21. The Conference condemned Israel for the excavation works around and beneath the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and for willfully destroying cultural and heritage sites in Al Quds, Nablus and Al-Khaleel (Hebron), and commended the initiative of the Director General of UNESCO concerning the preservation of the historical heritage of the city of Al Quds. In this regard, resolved to coordinate between the OIC General Secretariat and UNESCO, and invited the Member States to support this initiative and help implement it.

22. The Conference strongly condemned the continuous threats against Islamic and Christian holy places, particularly the threats to storm and damage the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque; and held Israel, as the “occupying power”, fully responsible for the consequences of these aggressions, particularly as they happen under the guise and protection of Israeli occupation forces. It condemned terrorism exercised by settler gangs against Palestinian civilians and peace activists.

23. The Conference affirmed its firm support and backing for the Syrian Arab Republic’s demand and right to restore the totality of the occupied Syrian Arab Golan to the line of 4 June 1967, on the basis of the peace process and the resolutions of international legitimacy, building on what has been accomplished in post-1991 Madrid Conference negotiations. It reaffirmed the previous Islamic resolutions which reject all the actions taken by the Israeli occupation authorities aimed at changing the legal, natural and demographic status of the occupied Syrian Arab Golan, considering these actions null and void and a violation to international agreements and to UN Charter and resolutions.

24. The Conference reaffirmed its support for Lebanon in its efforts to complete the liberation of all its territories up to the internationally recognized borders, and in its demands to release Lebanese prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons. Also demanded the UN Security Council to act toward preventing the repeated Israeli violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty in land, air and sea, and to force Israel to pay damages for all the losses sustained by the Lebanese territories as a result of its continuous aggressions against Lebanon. It supported Lebanon in its demands for the removal of the mines left behind by the Israeli occupation, as Israel is responsible for laying and removing these mines, and for the need to hand over full mine location maps. It also supported the inalienable rights of Lebanon to utilize its waters in accordance with the international law, condemned Israel’s designs on these waters, and held Israel responsible for any action that would infringe upon Lebanon’s sovereignty, political independence, safety of its people and integrity of its territories.

25. The Conference adopted the recommendations of the Eighth Conference of the Liaison Officers of Islamic Regional Offices of Boycott of Israel, which was held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Jeddah from 14 to 16 March 2005.

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92. The Conference condemned the acts of demolition and destruction of Palestinian houses, institutions, facilities and lands causing severe losses to the Palestinian economy and expressed its deep concern over the disastrous economic repercussions of these ongoing aggressive practices of the Israeli government and called for their immediate cessation. It also appealed for assistance to the Palestinian people to help them rebuild their national economy and strengthen their national institutions; and establish their independent state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. It reiterated its commendation in this connection of the initiative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the creation of two funds to support Palestine with its donation of USD250 million to them and called for financial support to these funds.

93. The Conference strongly condemned Israeli practices and their impacts on the environment in the occupied Palestinian and Syrian territories, and the formerly occupied Lebanese territories, and stressed the need for cooperation and adoption of effective measures to protect the environment which is essential for the sustainable development of the Member States.

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111. The Conference recommended all forms of material and academic support and assistance to be extended to Palestinian universities so as to enable them to exercise their national educational role.

112. The Conference called on the Member States to lend the necessary support to secure the financial needs to develop the educational process in the occupied territories, generally, and Al-Quds Al-Sharif, particularly, in view of the difficulties faced by the educational process in the city of Al-Quds as a result of the practices of the Israeli occupation authorities, including imposing its educational curricula and closing down schools that are outside their jurisdiction.

113. The Conference requested the Member States to coordinate and intensify their efforts in the various international forums in order to prevent the implementation of the Israeli scheme to partition the Ibrahimi Mosque in Al-Khalil; allow Muslim worshippers to enter the mosque; and preserve the Ibrahimi Haram as a Muslim mosque, just as it has always been throughout the centuries.

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