Statement by the CEIRPP Chair to the OIC Ministerial Summit

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The Secretary General,

Your Highnesses and Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP), I am privileged to address this august gathering of the 49th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

At the outset, let me commend the OIC for its tireless commitment to the Palestine question and its strong partnership with the Committee in support of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and a just solution for the Palestine question in all its aspects, including support for an annual conference on Jerusalem.

Since the last OIC gathering, the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, (OPT) has dramatically worsened. As the peace process remains stalled, tension is high and deadly cycles of violence continue with increased loss of civilian lives. The aggressions by Israel, the occupying Power, against the Palestinian people have intensified in the recent period.

Addressing the inaugural 2023 Committee meeting, the UN Secretary-General described the situation in the OPT as “near combustion”. In this context, the Committee welcomed the Presidential Statement adopted by the Security Council (S/PRST/2023/1) on 20 February 2023, which the Council supported unanimously, reaffirming the Security Council’s calls for protection of civilians, respect for international law and UN resolutions and support for the two-State solution.

We must follow up this important Security Council step with concrete actions, including calling for an end to Israeli policies and measures and provocative actions, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric that could further inflame an already volatile situation.

Your Highnesses and Excellencies,

In February 2023, the Committee joined the OIC and others in condemning the repeated deadly Israeli military raids in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in Jenin and Nablus. Such raids, by both security forces and settlers, have continued and include the egregious attack by settlers on Huwwara on 5 March and another military raid on 7 March. Perpetrators of those acts of aggression must be held to account.

Israel’s de facto annexation of Palestinian land through its creeping settlement expansion policy contributes to hopelessness, anger, and despair. As repeatedly stated by the international community, the Committee reiterates that all settlements are illegal under international law, are destroying the two-State solution, and are a stumbling block to peace.  All settlement activity must stop.

The Committee has consistently joined the international community in condemning the provocations and acts of violence in and around the Holy Sites, particularly at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, that can potentially radiate instability across the region and beyond. It fully aligns with the United Nations’ position that Jerusalem’s demographic and historical character must be preserved in accordance with international law and the relevant UN resolutions — and the historic status quo at the Holy Sites must be upheld in line with the special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Unilateral actions must not be permitted to alter the status of Jerusalem.

The Committee rejects the punitive measures adopted by Israel against the Palestinian Authority for seeking the resolution of international disputes through legitimate and peaceful means via the International Court of Justice (ICJ), one of the main organs of the United Nations, following the request for an advisory opinion by the General Assembly on 30 December 2022. We must ensure that Israel’s retaliatory measures do not derail the ICJ process. Furthermore, such punitive measures undermine the Palestinian Authority’s ability to provide vital services to its people. The Committee calls on Israel to reverse them immediately.

In response to the ICJ call of 3 February 2023, the Committee invited its Members and Observers to make written submissions to the Court. For this purpose, the Committee offers Member States and the public access to its online UNISPAL database, the largest repository of data on the question of Palestine. Furthermore, the Committee will soon publish a report analyzing the illegality of the Occupation as an additional contribution to the understanding of this situation and to the search for legal remedies.

The Committee also fully supports the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) in its efforts to provide vital humanitarian and development assistance to millions of Palestine refugees and its critical role in contributing to stability in the Middle East. Once more we appeal for OIC members to support UNRWA’s important mandate and to provide predictable and sustained financial support to the Agency.

Your Highnesses and Excellencies,

The Committee believes that United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements provide the only framework for a resolution to the question of Palestine. It urges the international community and regional partners, including the OIC, to show greater determination in helping to restore a political horizon giving hope to the Palestinian people.

The Committee vows to continue its advocacy and awareness raising and will organize, as requested by the UN General Assembly, the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Nakba with a high-level event at UNHQ on 15 May 2023. I invite the OIC and all its members to attend and actively participate at the highest level.

Let me conclude by restating the Committee’s pledge, in partnership with the wider international community, including the Member States of the OIC, to keep working for a peace that ends the occupation and ensures two states – Israel and an independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian State based on the pre-1967 lines, and the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including to self-determination, and a just solution for the plight of the Palestine refugees in the context of their right of return, in line with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions.

I thank you.