Iraq submits Ministerial Declaration adopted at 49th Annual Meeting of Group of 77 and China (A/80/422)

02 October 2025

(Excerpt on the situation in the State of Palestine)

Annex to the letter dated 1 October 2025 from the Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

Forty-ninth annual meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77

Wednesday, 24 September 2025

Ministerial Declaration

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390. The Ministers reaffirmed their unwavering support for the just cause of Palestine and solidarity with the Palestinian people. They reaffirmed their principled and long-standing support for the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and return, and the achievement of justice and their legitimate national aspirations, including for freedom, independence, peace and dignity in their independent State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Ministers expressed deep regret about the absence of a political horizon for bringing an end to the Israeli occupation and achieving the rights of the Palestinian people and the two-State solution based on the pre-1967 borders, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace and the Arab Peace Initiative.
391. The Ministers welcomed the advisory opinion of 19 July 2024 by the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, which determined, inter alia, that the presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful and must be brought to an end as rapidly as possible. They recalled General Assembly resolution ES-10/24 and called for its full implementation and stressed the need for the exertion of collective efforts by the international community, aimed at bringing an end to the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, and at assisting the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination without delay, including by undertaking measures of accountability in accordance with international law towards the realization of these objectives, stressing the urgency of intensified efforts to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive solution and peace. They recognized efforts in this regard by many members of the Group of 77, including in the context of “The Hague Group”, to uphold international law, support the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and promote achievement of a just and lasting peace.
392. The Ministers thus reiterated their call for the immediate and full withdrawal of Israel, the occupying Power, from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967 and from the remaining Lebanese occupied land. They reaffirmed their support for a Middle East peace process aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the region, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 425 (1978), 497 (1981) 1850 (2008), 2334 (2016), 2712 (2023), 2720 (2023), 2728 (2024) and 2735 (2024) and General Assembly resolutions ES-10/21, ES-10/22, ES-10/23, ES-10/24, ES-10/25, ES-10/26 and ES-10/27 and the principle of land for peace. In this context, they also reaffirmed their support for the Arab Peace Initiative, endorsed by the Arab Summit Conference held in Beirut, Lebanon on 28 March 2002.
393. The Ministers condemned any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition, and any measures of de facto or de jure annexation, of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan including all measures violating the historic status quo at the holy sites of Jerusalem and declared that such unilateral decisions have no legal effect, are null and void and must be immediately halted and rescinded, in compliance with international law and the relevant Security Council resolutions.
394. The Ministers expressed their grave concern regarding the drastic deterioration of the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in particular the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip as a result of the military assault launched by Israel, the occupying Power, since October 2023, which has resulted in the killing of over 64,000 Palestinians and the injury of over 163,000 others, the majority children and women, as well as the forcible and repeated displacement of nearly the entire civilian population and the massive destruction of homes and other vital civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, water and sanitation networks, electricity grids, roads, mosques, churches, and United Nations facilities, including those sheltering nearly 2 million displaced persons. The Ministers demanded an immediate, full and permanent ceasefire, they welcomed the mediation efforts especially by Egypt and Qatar in this regard, and called for respect and effective implementation for the relevant United Nations General Assembly and Security Council resolutions including 2735 (2024) and for all international legal obligations, including the Provisional Measures Orders indicated by the International Court of Justice on 26 January 2024, 28 March 2024 and 24 May 2024 in the case of South Africa vs. Israel under the Genocide Convention. They stressed the urgency of ensuring protection for the Palestinian civilian population in accordance with international humanitarian law and ensuring their recovery and well-being, including by ensuring immediate unhindered humanitarian access , including by restoration of the presence of the United Nations, including UNRWA, and of international organizations in Gaza and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the rapid provision of assistance at scale to address the massive needs of the population, including, inter alia, the provision of food and water to alleviate the conditions of malnutrition, starvation and famine, medical supplies and expertise to treat sick, injured and disabled civilians, as well as pregnant and new mothers and babies, and shelters for the displaced and school facilities to resume education. The Ministers expressed serious concern at Israel’s continued blatant disregard of international law, international humanitarian law, the UN Charter, UN resolutions and Court orders. They also called for the release of all civilians who are being illegally held captive. They also reaffirmed their rejection of any attempt aiming at forcefully displacing, expelling or transferring the Palestinian people from their land. Furthermore, they cautioned against the spillover effects of escalating of tensions to the rest of the Middle East region and urged all relevant parties involved to exercise maximum restraint in order to prevent the further spread of hostilities.
395. The Ministers expressed appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in its capacity as Co-Facilitator of the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. They commeneded the constructive efforts of Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Senegal, League of Arab states, and other partners , in advancing consensus, mobilizing broad support, and ensuring the success of this crucial process mandated by the General Assembly. In this regard, the Ministers welcomed the adoption by the General Assembly of resolution A/RES/80/x]/ [A/80/L.1/Rev.1] entitled Endorsement of the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.
396. The Ministers deplored the Israel’s ongoing military assaults and continual de‑development of the Gaza Strip exacerbating the dire humanitarian crisis, severe socio-economic conditions and challenges, including widespread poverty and unemployment and health, water, sanitation and energy crises facing the civilian population, as a result of the ongoing conflict, the Israeli blockade and the lasting and massive negative impact of the successive military aggressions committed by Israel, the occupying Power, against the Palestinian civilian population in the occupied Gaza Strip. The Ministers reiterated their demand for an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza strip and the immediate and full lifting of the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, which constitutes massive collective punishment. They expressed grave concern about the continuing obstruction of recovery due to the Israeli military assaults and blockade and the resulting deterioration of infrastructure and services, the majority of which has been devastated in the past year and called for urgent measures to accelerate emergency humanitarian assistance and advance reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
397. The Ministers welcomed, in this regard, the Arab-OIC Plan for Early Recovery, Reconstruction and Development of Gaza, and called on the international community to actively participate in the conference that Cairo intends to host to mobilize political and financial support for the plan.
398. The Ministers requested all members of the international community, the UN and other international organizations and non-governmental organizations to continue providing much-needed developmental and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, among them Palestine refugees, during this critical period, particularly for reconstruction and socio-economic recovery in the Gaza Strip, including through the UN agencies present on the ground, and particularly UNRWA, which serves as the main pillar of United Nations humanitarian operations in the Gaza strip.
399. The Ministers reiterated their concern in this regard about the recurrent financial crisis and under-funding of UNRWA as well as the repeated provocations, incitement, restrictions on access and attacks by Israel against the Agency, including its personnel and facilities. They deplored the killing of at least 360 UNRWA personnel and the damage and destruction cause to the majority of the Agency’s schools and health centres in the Gaza Strip. They demanded an end to these attacks and provocations against UNRWA, including against its headquarters compound in occupied East Jerusalem, and urged States to continue to extend political support for the Agency’s mandate and financial support to ensure the continuity of UNRWA services, a critical lifeline of support for the refugees and a tangible contribution to regional stability. They also urged their strong support for the continuing efforts to follow-up the Secretary-General’s report (A/71/849) and relevant recommendations aimed at mobilizing more sufficient, sustained and predictable funding to the Agency, including by the UN, to ensure the Agency’s effective operation and uninterrupted provision of vital humanitarian and development assistance to the Palestine refugees, in all fields of operation, in accordance with its General Assembly mandate, including its education, health, and relief and social services, which have been recognized as promoting 10 of the 17 SDGs.
400. The Ministers appealed to States and organizations for the maintenance of their voluntary contributions to the Agency, as well as an increase in contributions where possible, and also appealed for the support of new donors, to meet the needs of the Palestine refugees and essential associated costs of operations, including to prevent the spread of epidemics in the Gaza Strip and to urgently mitigate the impact of the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip and of worsening economic and social conditions across the region on the refugee community. They reaffirmed strong support for the mandate of UNRWA, in accordance with the continuing responsibility of the international community as a whole to assist the Palestine refugees, pending a just solution in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and stressed that the mandate cannot be altered by the unlawful actions of the occupying Power.
401. The Ministers expressed deep concern about the further decline of the social and economic conditions of the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, as a result of illegal Israeli practices, which include, but are not limited to, the continuing colonization of Palestinian land by Israel, the occupying Power, in grave breach of international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, as well as in flagrant violation of relevant UN resolutions, including, inter alia, Security Council resolution 2334 (2016), and disrespect of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice. In this connection, the Ministers demanded a complete and immidiate halt to Israel’s confiscation of Palestinian property, construction and expansion of Israeli settlements and the wall, transfer of Israeli settlers to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, demolition of Palestinian homes and forced displacement of Palestinian civilians, restrictions on the freedom of movement and all measures of annexation, and called for full respect of international law and all relevant resolutions.
402. The Ministers expressed grave concern over the conclusion by the International Court of Justice in its 19 July 2024 advisory opinion that Israel, the occupying Power, has annexed large parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, violating, inter alia, the prohibition on the acquisition of territory by force and violating the integrity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, an essential element of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. They also expressed grave concern over the frequent acts of violence, terror and incitement against Palestinian civilians and the destruction of Palestinian properties by Israeli settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and called for action to hold the perpetrators accountable for these crimes in accordance with international law and in respect of the 19 July 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice.
403. The Ministers underscored the determination by the International Court of Justice that Israel has been exploiting the natural resources in the Occupied Palestinian Territory for its own benefit and for the benefit of settlements, in breach of its obligation to respect the Palestinian people’s permanent sovereignty over natural resources, further depriving the Palestinian people and impeding the exercise of its right to self-determination, and stressed the imperative of upholding international law and ensuring its full respect in this regard, including to enable the Palestinian people to exercise self-determination and to freely pursue its economic, social and cultural development.
404. The Ministers deplored the systematic, grave breaches of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, committed by Israel, the occupying power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as the territories of the Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon. They reiterated the calls for accountability for these violations and called upon the Security Council, in line with its Charter duty for the maintenance of international peace and security, to undertake serious follow‑up efforts to bring an end to Israel’s impunity and realize justice for the victims and to contribute to a peaceful and just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
405. The Ministers reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and of the Syrian population of the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources, including land, water and energy resources, and demanded that Israel, the occupying Power, cease the exploitation, damage, cause of loss or depletion and endangerment of the natural resources in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan, which constitute violations of international law and severely undermine their ability to pursue sustainable development.
406. The Ministers reiterated their call on Israel to end its strikes on Syrian civil infrastructure and residential buildings, which constitutes a violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, threatens the livelihood of civilians and the safety of civil aviation, and hinders United Nations humanitarian operations.
407. The Ministers reiterated their call for the complete dismantlement and immediate cessation of all illegal Israeli settlement activities and demographic change in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan. They also reaffirmed their conviction that the Israeli occupation remains the main obstacle to the efforts to achieve sustainable development and a sound economic environment in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan.
408. The Ministers strongly condemned the attack carried out by Israel, the occupying power, on July 27th 2024 on the village of Majdal Shams, in the occupied Syrian Golan, which resulted in the loss of life of 12 Syrian children.
409. The Ministers strongly condemn the heinous Israeli unlawful and illegal attack on the diplomatic premises of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Syrian Arab Republic on 1 April 2024, and its recent cowardly unlawful and illegal attack in violation of the sovereignty and territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 31 July 2024, targeting a high-ranking official guest, Mr. Ismail Haniyeh, political chief of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) and former Prime Minister of Palestine, violating the fundamental norms and principles of international law, particularly the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, including Article 2 (4). The Ministers reaffirmed that such brutal unlawful and illegal actions by Israel threaten peace and security at the regional and global levels and are serious obstacles to achieve sustainable development.

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