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May 2021 |
16 may 2021 page 3
Palestinian rescue services continued its efforts on Sunday afternoon pull out of the rubble more killed civilians. Israeli airstrikes on al-Wihda Street in al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City started before dawn on Sunday and continued until early hours of the morning. video
According to the health ministry, most of the bodies that was pulled out of the rubble are children, bring the death toll to 37 killed among them 8 children and 13 women, 50 more were injured mostly women and children.
Medical sources said that ambulance and civil defense teams are carrying out searches under the rubble until the time of this report and numbers may increase as search and rescue continue.
Malki before UNSC: Israel may believe it is winning, but it is nowhere closer to defeating the Palestinian people
Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs, Riyad al-Malki, said before the UN Security Council emergency meeting held today to discuss current escalations in occupied Palestinian territory that “Israel may believe it is winning, but it is nowhere closer to defeating the Palestinian people. Our people will never surrender or forgo their rights. Palestinian freedom is the only path to peace. “Since peace is the responsibility of this Council, helping achieve Palestinian freedom is its legal and moral duty,” he said.
Following is the full speech of the Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs, Riyad al-Malki, before the UN Security Council:
Mr. President
Allow me to thank China for convening this important meeting and for being represented at Ministerial level, as well as Tunisia for their relentless efforts within this Council, and my Arab brothers who decided to participate in this meeting as an integral part of their efforts to end the aggression against our people, land and holy sites. Allow me also to thank the Secretary General for his participation and ongoing efforts, together with Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland, to end this latest aggression against our people.
Mr. President,
There are no words that can describe the horrors our people are enduring. Baby Omar Al Hadidi came to life only 5 months ago and will now have to go through life without his mother and brothers Osama 6, Abdelrahman 8, Suheib 14, all killed by an Israeli airstrike. His family is not the only one. Members of the family Abu Hattab were killed, including Alaa 5, Bilal 10, Youssef 11, and the family Al Tanani, Rawya was 4-months pregnant, she was killed together with her husband and sons Ismael 6, Ameer 5, Adham 4, Mohammed 3. A few hours ago, 15 members of the family Al-Qolak were killed, including Zeid 8, Adam 3 and Qossai 1 and their parents. Aziz survived, he is 10.
When you embrace your children and grandchildren tonight, think of our children and of how you can honour those killed and spare those still alive. Think of what it feels to see your world crumbling down and not being able to protect them. Think of what it means to sleep not knowing which one of you will wake up. Remember that each time Israel hears a foreign leader speak of its right to defend itself, it is further emboldened to continue murdering entire families in their sleep.
Israel is killing Palestinians in Gaza, one family at a time. Israel is trying to uproot Palestinians from Jerusalem, expelling families, one home, and one neighborhood at a time. Israel is persecuting our people, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. Some may not want to use these words, but they know they are true. Israel is unapologetic and relentless in pursuing its colonial policies. We are therefore left with two questions.
The first one is: What are the Palestinian people entitled to do to resist such policies and defend themselves. The following questions hold the answer: Is violence when committed by Palestinians terrorism and when committed by Israel self-defense?
Who will be arrested, the settlers or those resisting their presence and assaults? Will our peaceful protesters enjoy international protection or be left to face Israeli bullets and slander? Will we receive support for investigations by the ICC, or will some search for reasons to object, shielding war criminals and depriving Palestinian victims from any avenue for justice? Will products of Israeli settlements be banned, or will those who call for boycott be prosecuted? What are we entitled to do apart from hoping that one day Israel will be ready to end its occupation on its own and to negotiate peace?
The second question is: What are the tools the international community is ready to deploy to ensure compliance by Israel with its obligations and an end of its occupation, tools it uses regularly in other conflicts. Military intervention? Sanctions? Suspending bilateral relations? Prosecuting perpetrators of crimes? Deploying protection forces? Imposing an arms embargo? Or will it rely simply on the possibility of convincing the occupying Power to end its colonial occupation while history has proven that Israel is not willing to listen?
Mr. President,
Israel keeps doing the same things expecting a different result. Did it believe that its troops storming the holiest of sites, Al Aqsa Mosque, on the holiest of months, Ramadan, and on the holiest of nights, the night of destiny, would bear no consequences? Did it believe Palestinians would accept to live in enclaves and wait for the Israeli settlers to seize the next house? Did they expect Palestinians to coexist with the occupation, its walls, its blockades, its settlements and its prisons? There is no people on earth that would tolerate this reality.
Israel keeps telling you “put yourself in our shoes?” But Israel is not wearing shoes, it is wearing military boots. It is an occupying and a colonial power. Any assessment of the situation that fails to take into account this fundamental fact is biased, discredited and unjust. We are not two neighbours living side by side in peace. Israel is the armed thief who has entered our house and is terrorizing our family. It destroys our homes, oppresses our people, generation after generation, decade after decade, and then claims a right to security that it denies us.
Why don’t you put yourself in our shoes. What would you do if your country was occupied, your people persecuted, besieged, massacred? Better yet, what did you do to achieve your independence and end the oppression of your people? We made a difficult choice to pursue a peaceful path to freedom, and it is in everybody’s interest for that path to be successful. But that will not happen without ensuring that Israel bears the cost of occupation instead of reaping its benefits.
Mr. President,
How many Palestinian civilians killed is enough for a condemnation? We know a single Israeli is, but how many Palestinians? 200 Palestinians have been killed, a third of them children and women. What is the threshold for outrage? An entire family wiped out of existence is not enough? Dozens of families killed is not enough? Residential buildings brought to the ground and tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced for the fourth or fifth time is not enough? All this in the midst of a pandemic.
Israel is not only an occupying Power, it is a nuclear power, it has a military arsenal, the iron dome, shelters, while our people in Gaza are besieged, trapped, with nowhere to go and no safe haven. Even the UNRWA schools within which they shelter are vulnerable to Israeli attacks. It is Palestinian civilians who need protection. They deserve compassion, solidarity and action.
The Palestinian people have risen everywhere, because they are victims everywhere. Victims of dispossession, forced displacement, discrimination and denial of rights on both sides of the Green Line and in exile. When hearing Israeli officials speak one could wonder how horrible it must be for them to live under our occupation, with our forces deployed in their streets and our settlers terrorizing their people and taking over their land and homes, and with millions of them under blockade. As many colonial powers before it, Israel holds its victims responsible for their own death. Israel is the victim forced to kill the Palestinians because they do not behave. If only Palestinians could coexist with their occupiers and oppressors in peace.
Some wonder why Palestine enjoys so much solidarity and support from so many nations around the world, and the reason is that these nations are informed by their own history, their own struggle for freedom, and they know oppression when they see it. The countries who sit in these United Nations would be dishonoring the memory of those who fought for freedom in their respective countries if they were to accept colonialism and Apartheid in Palestine.
Mr. President,
Where are they those who proclaimed they had achieved peace in the Middle East by brokering agreements between countries who were actually not at war? Where are they those who proclaimed that peace in the Middle East could be achieved without the Palestinians and at their expense? Where are they those real estate agents who decided they could sell what they do not own to those who have no rightful claim. We told them then and we say now, Jerusalem is not for sale.
Our roots are deep, our history long, our heritage etched in every stone, street and alley in this City. War and peace start from Jerusalem. You want to save peace, start by saving Sheikh Jarrah. Protect Al Haram Al-Sharif from attempts to divide it temporally and spatially. Israel continues proclaiming that Jerusalem is the unified capital of Israel. Have you ever seen the city more divided?
The international consensus you have all helped shape and defend is being destroyed in front of our very eyes. The alternative that Israel chose is Apartheid. Yes Apartheid. And one day soon, even this Council will not be able to deny this reality. Act now to end the aggression and the assault on our people, our homes, and our land. Act now so freedom can prevail, not Apartheid.
Mr. President,
As the Palestinian people mark the 73rd anniversary of the Nakba, Israel pursues the same policies of dispossession, forced displacement, discrimination and denial of Palestinian rights.
Israel may believe it is winning, but it is nowhere closer to defeating the Palestinian people. Our people will never surrender or forgo their rights.
Palestinian freedom is the only path to peace. Since peace is the responsibility of this Council, helping achieve Palestinian freedom is its legal and moral duty.
Thank you
According to the health ministry, most of the bodies that was pulled out of the rubble are children, bring the death toll to 37 killed among them 8 children and 13 women, 50 more were injured mostly women and children.
Medical sources said that ambulance and civil defense teams are carrying out searches under the rubble until the time of this report and numbers may increase as search and rescue continue.
Malki before UNSC: Israel may believe it is winning, but it is nowhere closer to defeating the Palestinian people
Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs, Riyad al-Malki, said before the UN Security Council emergency meeting held today to discuss current escalations in occupied Palestinian territory that “Israel may believe it is winning, but it is nowhere closer to defeating the Palestinian people. Our people will never surrender or forgo their rights. Palestinian freedom is the only path to peace. “Since peace is the responsibility of this Council, helping achieve Palestinian freedom is its legal and moral duty,” he said.
Following is the full speech of the Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs, Riyad al-Malki, before the UN Security Council:
Mr. President
Allow me to thank China for convening this important meeting and for being represented at Ministerial level, as well as Tunisia for their relentless efforts within this Council, and my Arab brothers who decided to participate in this meeting as an integral part of their efforts to end the aggression against our people, land and holy sites. Allow me also to thank the Secretary General for his participation and ongoing efforts, together with Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland, to end this latest aggression against our people.
Mr. President,
There are no words that can describe the horrors our people are enduring. Baby Omar Al Hadidi came to life only 5 months ago and will now have to go through life without his mother and brothers Osama 6, Abdelrahman 8, Suheib 14, all killed by an Israeli airstrike. His family is not the only one. Members of the family Abu Hattab were killed, including Alaa 5, Bilal 10, Youssef 11, and the family Al Tanani, Rawya was 4-months pregnant, she was killed together with her husband and sons Ismael 6, Ameer 5, Adham 4, Mohammed 3. A few hours ago, 15 members of the family Al-Qolak were killed, including Zeid 8, Adam 3 and Qossai 1 and their parents. Aziz survived, he is 10.
When you embrace your children and grandchildren tonight, think of our children and of how you can honour those killed and spare those still alive. Think of what it feels to see your world crumbling down and not being able to protect them. Think of what it means to sleep not knowing which one of you will wake up. Remember that each time Israel hears a foreign leader speak of its right to defend itself, it is further emboldened to continue murdering entire families in their sleep.
Israel is killing Palestinians in Gaza, one family at a time. Israel is trying to uproot Palestinians from Jerusalem, expelling families, one home, and one neighborhood at a time. Israel is persecuting our people, committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. Some may not want to use these words, but they know they are true. Israel is unapologetic and relentless in pursuing its colonial policies. We are therefore left with two questions.
The first one is: What are the Palestinian people entitled to do to resist such policies and defend themselves. The following questions hold the answer: Is violence when committed by Palestinians terrorism and when committed by Israel self-defense?
Who will be arrested, the settlers or those resisting their presence and assaults? Will our peaceful protesters enjoy international protection or be left to face Israeli bullets and slander? Will we receive support for investigations by the ICC, or will some search for reasons to object, shielding war criminals and depriving Palestinian victims from any avenue for justice? Will products of Israeli settlements be banned, or will those who call for boycott be prosecuted? What are we entitled to do apart from hoping that one day Israel will be ready to end its occupation on its own and to negotiate peace?
The second question is: What are the tools the international community is ready to deploy to ensure compliance by Israel with its obligations and an end of its occupation, tools it uses regularly in other conflicts. Military intervention? Sanctions? Suspending bilateral relations? Prosecuting perpetrators of crimes? Deploying protection forces? Imposing an arms embargo? Or will it rely simply on the possibility of convincing the occupying Power to end its colonial occupation while history has proven that Israel is not willing to listen?
Mr. President,
Israel keeps doing the same things expecting a different result. Did it believe that its troops storming the holiest of sites, Al Aqsa Mosque, on the holiest of months, Ramadan, and on the holiest of nights, the night of destiny, would bear no consequences? Did it believe Palestinians would accept to live in enclaves and wait for the Israeli settlers to seize the next house? Did they expect Palestinians to coexist with the occupation, its walls, its blockades, its settlements and its prisons? There is no people on earth that would tolerate this reality.
Israel keeps telling you “put yourself in our shoes?” But Israel is not wearing shoes, it is wearing military boots. It is an occupying and a colonial power. Any assessment of the situation that fails to take into account this fundamental fact is biased, discredited and unjust. We are not two neighbours living side by side in peace. Israel is the armed thief who has entered our house and is terrorizing our family. It destroys our homes, oppresses our people, generation after generation, decade after decade, and then claims a right to security that it denies us.
Why don’t you put yourself in our shoes. What would you do if your country was occupied, your people persecuted, besieged, massacred? Better yet, what did you do to achieve your independence and end the oppression of your people? We made a difficult choice to pursue a peaceful path to freedom, and it is in everybody’s interest for that path to be successful. But that will not happen without ensuring that Israel bears the cost of occupation instead of reaping its benefits.
Mr. President,
How many Palestinian civilians killed is enough for a condemnation? We know a single Israeli is, but how many Palestinians? 200 Palestinians have been killed, a third of them children and women. What is the threshold for outrage? An entire family wiped out of existence is not enough? Dozens of families killed is not enough? Residential buildings brought to the ground and tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced for the fourth or fifth time is not enough? All this in the midst of a pandemic.
Israel is not only an occupying Power, it is a nuclear power, it has a military arsenal, the iron dome, shelters, while our people in Gaza are besieged, trapped, with nowhere to go and no safe haven. Even the UNRWA schools within which they shelter are vulnerable to Israeli attacks. It is Palestinian civilians who need protection. They deserve compassion, solidarity and action.
The Palestinian people have risen everywhere, because they are victims everywhere. Victims of dispossession, forced displacement, discrimination and denial of rights on both sides of the Green Line and in exile. When hearing Israeli officials speak one could wonder how horrible it must be for them to live under our occupation, with our forces deployed in their streets and our settlers terrorizing their people and taking over their land and homes, and with millions of them under blockade. As many colonial powers before it, Israel holds its victims responsible for their own death. Israel is the victim forced to kill the Palestinians because they do not behave. If only Palestinians could coexist with their occupiers and oppressors in peace.
Some wonder why Palestine enjoys so much solidarity and support from so many nations around the world, and the reason is that these nations are informed by their own history, their own struggle for freedom, and they know oppression when they see it. The countries who sit in these United Nations would be dishonoring the memory of those who fought for freedom in their respective countries if they were to accept colonialism and Apartheid in Palestine.
Mr. President,
Where are they those who proclaimed they had achieved peace in the Middle East by brokering agreements between countries who were actually not at war? Where are they those who proclaimed that peace in the Middle East could be achieved without the Palestinians and at their expense? Where are they those real estate agents who decided they could sell what they do not own to those who have no rightful claim. We told them then and we say now, Jerusalem is not for sale.
Our roots are deep, our history long, our heritage etched in every stone, street and alley in this City. War and peace start from Jerusalem. You want to save peace, start by saving Sheikh Jarrah. Protect Al Haram Al-Sharif from attempts to divide it temporally and spatially. Israel continues proclaiming that Jerusalem is the unified capital of Israel. Have you ever seen the city more divided?
The international consensus you have all helped shape and defend is being destroyed in front of our very eyes. The alternative that Israel chose is Apartheid. Yes Apartheid. And one day soon, even this Council will not be able to deny this reality. Act now to end the aggression and the assault on our people, our homes, and our land. Act now so freedom can prevail, not Apartheid.
Mr. President,
As the Palestinian people mark the 73rd anniversary of the Nakba, Israel pursues the same policies of dispossession, forced displacement, discrimination and denial of Palestinian rights.
Israel may believe it is winning, but it is nowhere closer to defeating the Palestinian people. Our people will never surrender or forgo their rights.
Palestinian freedom is the only path to peace. Since peace is the responsibility of this Council, helping achieve Palestinian freedom is its legal and moral duty.
Thank you
OIC held Israel, the occupying authority, fully responsible for the deterioration of the situation caused by its systematic crimes against the Palestinian people across the entire Occupied Palestinian Territory, in particular, the extensive barbaric military attack on the besieged Gaza Strip.
A virtual open-ended extraordinary meeting of the OIC Executive Committee at the level of foreign minister was held today upon the request of Saudi Arabia, Chair of the Islamic Summit, to discuss the aggression by Israel, the occupying Power in the Palestinian territories, particularly, Al-Quds Al-Shareef.
OIC condemned in the strongest terms the barbaric attacks launched by Israel, the occupying authority, against the Palestinian people and their land and holy sites; demanding the complete and immediate stop of these attacks that have affected innocent civilians and their properties, in gross violation of international law and United Nations resolutions on the question of Palestine; and warned that the continuation of incitement to these attacks and provocations, the threat on the lives of innocent civilians, and causing severe suffering to them increase the risks of instability, with serious implications for security in and outside of the region.
It warned, in particular, against the dangerous effects of Israel’s continued and deliberate inflammation and provocation of the religious sensibilities and feelings of the Palestinian people and the entire Islamic ummah with its heightened attacks on worshippers, especially starting from the beginning of Ramadan, blocking worshippers’ access to the holy sites to perform their religious rites, including Muslims’ access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Christians’ access to the Church of Holy Sepulchre during the Easter celebrations, the violent storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Shareef by the occupation forces, terrorizing and attacking peaceful worshippers, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
The OIC demanded a stop to all violations being carried out by Israel, the occupying authority, including disrespect for the holy sites, in particular, the sacredness of the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Shareef, and not to undermine their historical and legal status; reiterating that Israel is an occupation force and does not possess any legitimate right whatsoever on occupied Palestinian land, including East Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Shareef, and that all measures undermining its status are null and void and of no legal effect;
It reaffirmed the importance of the historical Hashemite custodianship of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Al-Quds and its role in preserving them and the existing legal and historical status there, and in preserving the Arab, Islamic and Christian identity of the sanctuaries; and affirmed that the Hashemite management of Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque waqfs is the only body authorized to manage all affairs of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Al-Quds Haram Al-Shareef;
OIC reiterated its rejection and condemnation of the ongoing Israeli settlement colonization of occupied Palestinian land, including East Jerusalem and the establishment of racial segregation system there, in particular through the building of settlements, destruction of Palestinian properties and building of an expansion wall, confiscation of lands, homes, and properties, forceful expulsion and eviction of Palestinians from their homes and land; and affirmed that all these acts constitute a gross violation of international law, attaining the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity for which the occupation must be held accountable and the colonial system boycotted and sanctioned;
It expressed particular concern at the rapid pace of the Israeli policy of colonization of Palestinian lands, especially the threat to forcefully evict hundreds of Palestinian families from their homes in the occupied East Jerusalem, including families in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods which face imminent evictions from extremist colonialist groups with the support and backing of the Israeli occupation authorities, in cooperation with the racial courts; demanding the immediate cessation of those illegal policies and practices that are at variance with the occupation’s obligations under the United Nations Charter, the Fourth Geneva Convention, international human rights law and United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolution 2334 (2016); and calling for these illegal measures to be challenged at all levels and for urgent international measures to be taken to confront them.
OIC “Holds Israel, the occupying authority, fully responsible for the deterioration of the situation caused by its systematic crimes against the Palestinian people across the entire Occupied Palestinian Territory, in particular, the extensive barbaric military attack on the besieged Gaza Strip, with rising number of victims and large scale destruction of properties and basic infrastructure.
It called for the importance of protecting medical and first-aid crews and of allowing them to do their work without hindrance, in line with the provisions of international law in this regard; and stressed the need to provide international protection for the Palestinian people, in conformity with international humanitarian law standards as has been repeatedly advocated by the United Nations General Assembly, including in resolution ES-10/20 of 13 June 2018 and in line with the Final Communique of the 7th Extraordinary Islamic Summit, by dispatching an international protection force to save innocent lives from ongoing attacks and terrorism by the occupation forces and the extremist colonialist militias.
OIC underscored the responsibility of the Security Council to act swiftly to end the Israeli occupation’s barbaric attacks on the Palestinian people, in line with its Charter mandate to preserve international peace and security; expressing its denouncement of the Security Council’s inertia in dealing with the Palestinian question, the oldest on its agenda; and invited it to assume its responsibility towards the Palestinian people and to respond to the calls of states and peoples around the world to rise to its responsibilities to stop these violations, save innocent lives, act without delay to stop the deterioration on the ground and the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people, implement its own resolutions and ensure that they are fully respected, being the foundation and key to a just and lasting solution supported by the prevailing international consensus.
OIC “Reiterates that failure of the Security Council to assume its responsibility to deal with this crisis will necessitate approaching the United Nations General Assembly to assume its responsibility, including the resumption of the proceedings of the Tenth Emergency Special Session to stop Israeli aggression in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Al-Quds Al-Shareef, to ensure the provision of international protection for the Palestinian people, to take measures to hold Israel, the occupying power, accountable for its crimes and gross violations of the rules of international law and human rights, and to blockade its colonial system.
It called upon the international community as a whole, including the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to abide by its collective commitments and take measures and steps to compel Israel, the occupying authority, to fulfill its obligation as occupying authority, including ensuring protection for the Palestinian population; and affirmed that the time has come to take serious measures to hold Israel accountable for its gross violations and to stop exempting it from the same rule that is binding on the rest of the world.
OIC “Reiterates its readiness for engagement in all efforts to support the just Palestinian cause and guarantee the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination and subsequent just and comprehensive solution on the basis of the two-state solution, in accordance with the internationally agreed principles on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative leading to the establishment of the independent State of Palestine with Al-Quds Al-Shareef as its capital, and to continue to work with the international community to achieve that end.
It noted that the extensive Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people coincides with the 73rd anniversary of the catastrophe, the 1948 tragedy during which widespread ethnic cleansing operation was conducted leading to the forceful removal of 800,000 from their homes and land after the barbaric massacre carried out in more than 400 Palestinian towns and images by Zionist terrorist groups in Palestine;
recalling the historical responsibility of the British mandate authority for the catastrophe and the permanent responsibility of the United Nations for the Palestinian question until all its aspects are resolved; and reiterating on this painful anniversary the right of the Palestinians to return as a fundamental collective and individual right, in conformity with international law and United Nations resolutions, in particular resolution 194 (III), which cannot be diminished with the passage of time, and that respecting it is essential for a just and lasting solution;
It reiterated that Al-Quds Al-Shareef and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s first qibla, and third holiest sanctuary, is a red line for the Islamic ummah, that only with its full liberation from occupation and its return to the Palestinian people and the Islamic ummah will there be security and stability; inviting Member States to make concerted and individual efforts, to rally round and defend Al-Quds and its holy sites, face up to Israel’s crimes, provide the Palestinian people with support and the wherewithal for steadfastness to confront the Israeli barbaric attacks; and requesting them to respect the OIC resolutions on the Palestinian cause and work to implement them as the central issue of the Islamic ummah and the raison d’etre of the OIC.
OIC expressed appreciation to the role played by the Chair of the Al-Quds Committee in protecting the sanctuaries in Al-Quds Al-Shareef and standing up to the measures taken by the Israeli occupation authorities to Judaize the holy city.
OIC “Salutes the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land and for their historic stand in the face of aggression and occupation, and epic defense of their legitimate rights, standing up to the obliteration, eviction and revocation attempts by the Israeli racist, colonial regime; and reiterates its support and backing for the Palestinian leadership.”
OIC "invites the Member States to provide all forms of support and backing for the Palestinian people to strengthen their resilience on their land and to stress the importance of activating the financial safety network, in accordance with the resolution of the 14th Islamic Summit, particularly for the reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure, properties, and homes sheltering hundreds of Palestinian families who have been rendered homeless because of the heavy destruction carried out by the Israeli occupation forces."
It called for international legal action through specialized international courts and various United Nations agencies to compel Israel, the occupying power, to pay the necessary material and moral reparations for the damages done to the Palestinian infrastructure as well as public and private properties.
OIC “Decides to move urgently and carry out the necessary contacts to implement this resolution and convey its contents to all relevant bodies, to mandate the Secretary-General to contact the President of the European Commission, the United Nations Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other representatives of relevant international organizations and groups to convey the contents of this resolution, and to invite the councils of ambassadors of the OIC group in countries of the world and at international organizations to act urgently to convey the contents of this resolution to the states and organizations of their accreditation.
A virtual open-ended extraordinary meeting of the OIC Executive Committee at the level of foreign minister was held today upon the request of Saudi Arabia, Chair of the Islamic Summit, to discuss the aggression by Israel, the occupying Power in the Palestinian territories, particularly, Al-Quds Al-Shareef.
OIC condemned in the strongest terms the barbaric attacks launched by Israel, the occupying authority, against the Palestinian people and their land and holy sites; demanding the complete and immediate stop of these attacks that have affected innocent civilians and their properties, in gross violation of international law and United Nations resolutions on the question of Palestine; and warned that the continuation of incitement to these attacks and provocations, the threat on the lives of innocent civilians, and causing severe suffering to them increase the risks of instability, with serious implications for security in and outside of the region.
It warned, in particular, against the dangerous effects of Israel’s continued and deliberate inflammation and provocation of the religious sensibilities and feelings of the Palestinian people and the entire Islamic ummah with its heightened attacks on worshippers, especially starting from the beginning of Ramadan, blocking worshippers’ access to the holy sites to perform their religious rites, including Muslims’ access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Christians’ access to the Church of Holy Sepulchre during the Easter celebrations, the violent storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Shareef by the occupation forces, terrorizing and attacking peaceful worshippers, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
The OIC demanded a stop to all violations being carried out by Israel, the occupying authority, including disrespect for the holy sites, in particular, the sacredness of the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Shareef, and not to undermine their historical and legal status; reiterating that Israel is an occupation force and does not possess any legitimate right whatsoever on occupied Palestinian land, including East Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Shareef, and that all measures undermining its status are null and void and of no legal effect;
It reaffirmed the importance of the historical Hashemite custodianship of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Al-Quds and its role in preserving them and the existing legal and historical status there, and in preserving the Arab, Islamic and Christian identity of the sanctuaries; and affirmed that the Hashemite management of Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque waqfs is the only body authorized to manage all affairs of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Al-Quds Haram Al-Shareef;
OIC reiterated its rejection and condemnation of the ongoing Israeli settlement colonization of occupied Palestinian land, including East Jerusalem and the establishment of racial segregation system there, in particular through the building of settlements, destruction of Palestinian properties and building of an expansion wall, confiscation of lands, homes, and properties, forceful expulsion and eviction of Palestinians from their homes and land; and affirmed that all these acts constitute a gross violation of international law, attaining the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity for which the occupation must be held accountable and the colonial system boycotted and sanctioned;
It expressed particular concern at the rapid pace of the Israeli policy of colonization of Palestinian lands, especially the threat to forcefully evict hundreds of Palestinian families from their homes in the occupied East Jerusalem, including families in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods which face imminent evictions from extremist colonialist groups with the support and backing of the Israeli occupation authorities, in cooperation with the racial courts; demanding the immediate cessation of those illegal policies and practices that are at variance with the occupation’s obligations under the United Nations Charter, the Fourth Geneva Convention, international human rights law and United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolution 2334 (2016); and calling for these illegal measures to be challenged at all levels and for urgent international measures to be taken to confront them.
OIC “Holds Israel, the occupying authority, fully responsible for the deterioration of the situation caused by its systematic crimes against the Palestinian people across the entire Occupied Palestinian Territory, in particular, the extensive barbaric military attack on the besieged Gaza Strip, with rising number of victims and large scale destruction of properties and basic infrastructure.
It called for the importance of protecting medical and first-aid crews and of allowing them to do their work without hindrance, in line with the provisions of international law in this regard; and stressed the need to provide international protection for the Palestinian people, in conformity with international humanitarian law standards as has been repeatedly advocated by the United Nations General Assembly, including in resolution ES-10/20 of 13 June 2018 and in line with the Final Communique of the 7th Extraordinary Islamic Summit, by dispatching an international protection force to save innocent lives from ongoing attacks and terrorism by the occupation forces and the extremist colonialist militias.
OIC underscored the responsibility of the Security Council to act swiftly to end the Israeli occupation’s barbaric attacks on the Palestinian people, in line with its Charter mandate to preserve international peace and security; expressing its denouncement of the Security Council’s inertia in dealing with the Palestinian question, the oldest on its agenda; and invited it to assume its responsibility towards the Palestinian people and to respond to the calls of states and peoples around the world to rise to its responsibilities to stop these violations, save innocent lives, act without delay to stop the deterioration on the ground and the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people, implement its own resolutions and ensure that they are fully respected, being the foundation and key to a just and lasting solution supported by the prevailing international consensus.
OIC “Reiterates that failure of the Security Council to assume its responsibility to deal with this crisis will necessitate approaching the United Nations General Assembly to assume its responsibility, including the resumption of the proceedings of the Tenth Emergency Special Session to stop Israeli aggression in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Al-Quds Al-Shareef, to ensure the provision of international protection for the Palestinian people, to take measures to hold Israel, the occupying power, accountable for its crimes and gross violations of the rules of international law and human rights, and to blockade its colonial system.
It called upon the international community as a whole, including the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to abide by its collective commitments and take measures and steps to compel Israel, the occupying authority, to fulfill its obligation as occupying authority, including ensuring protection for the Palestinian population; and affirmed that the time has come to take serious measures to hold Israel accountable for its gross violations and to stop exempting it from the same rule that is binding on the rest of the world.
OIC “Reiterates its readiness for engagement in all efforts to support the just Palestinian cause and guarantee the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination and subsequent just and comprehensive solution on the basis of the two-state solution, in accordance with the internationally agreed principles on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative leading to the establishment of the independent State of Palestine with Al-Quds Al-Shareef as its capital, and to continue to work with the international community to achieve that end.
It noted that the extensive Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people coincides with the 73rd anniversary of the catastrophe, the 1948 tragedy during which widespread ethnic cleansing operation was conducted leading to the forceful removal of 800,000 from their homes and land after the barbaric massacre carried out in more than 400 Palestinian towns and images by Zionist terrorist groups in Palestine;
recalling the historical responsibility of the British mandate authority for the catastrophe and the permanent responsibility of the United Nations for the Palestinian question until all its aspects are resolved; and reiterating on this painful anniversary the right of the Palestinians to return as a fundamental collective and individual right, in conformity with international law and United Nations resolutions, in particular resolution 194 (III), which cannot be diminished with the passage of time, and that respecting it is essential for a just and lasting solution;
It reiterated that Al-Quds Al-Shareef and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s first qibla, and third holiest sanctuary, is a red line for the Islamic ummah, that only with its full liberation from occupation and its return to the Palestinian people and the Islamic ummah will there be security and stability; inviting Member States to make concerted and individual efforts, to rally round and defend Al-Quds and its holy sites, face up to Israel’s crimes, provide the Palestinian people with support and the wherewithal for steadfastness to confront the Israeli barbaric attacks; and requesting them to respect the OIC resolutions on the Palestinian cause and work to implement them as the central issue of the Islamic ummah and the raison d’etre of the OIC.
OIC expressed appreciation to the role played by the Chair of the Al-Quds Committee in protecting the sanctuaries in Al-Quds Al-Shareef and standing up to the measures taken by the Israeli occupation authorities to Judaize the holy city.
OIC “Salutes the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land and for their historic stand in the face of aggression and occupation, and epic defense of their legitimate rights, standing up to the obliteration, eviction and revocation attempts by the Israeli racist, colonial regime; and reiterates its support and backing for the Palestinian leadership.”
OIC "invites the Member States to provide all forms of support and backing for the Palestinian people to strengthen their resilience on their land and to stress the importance of activating the financial safety network, in accordance with the resolution of the 14th Islamic Summit, particularly for the reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure, properties, and homes sheltering hundreds of Palestinian families who have been rendered homeless because of the heavy destruction carried out by the Israeli occupation forces."
It called for international legal action through specialized international courts and various United Nations agencies to compel Israel, the occupying power, to pay the necessary material and moral reparations for the damages done to the Palestinian infrastructure as well as public and private properties.
OIC “Decides to move urgently and carry out the necessary contacts to implement this resolution and convey its contents to all relevant bodies, to mandate the Secretary-General to contact the President of the European Commission, the United Nations Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other representatives of relevant international organizations and groups to convey the contents of this resolution, and to invite the councils of ambassadors of the OIC group in countries of the world and at international organizations to act urgently to convey the contents of this resolution to the states and organizations of their accreditation.
The Ministry of Health announced on Sunday afternoon that a total of 209 Palestinians have been killed and 5,600 others injured by the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and in the crackdown on West Bank protests.
MoH said that in the Gaza Strip, 188 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes, including 55 children below the age of 18, and 33 women.
Meanwhile in the West Bank, a total of 21 Palestinian protesters were shot dead with live ammunition by Israeli occupation forces that violently crashed protests which broke out in protest of the aggression on Gaza.
In the Gaza Strip, 1225 Palestinians have been wounded by the Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombing, while in the West Bank, a total of 4,363 Palestinians have been wounded by Israeli occupation forces or illegal settlers.
Health Ministry: 209 killed, 5687 injured Since the Start of Israel’s offensive
The Palestinian Health Ministry announced on Sunday evening that death toll due Israel’s offensive targeting the Gaza Strip and West Bank have reached 209, meanwhile 5687 were injured so far.
In the Gaza Strip 188 Palestinians were killed among them 55 children, 33 women. At least 12300 more were injured, the Health Ministry reported.
Meanwhile in the West Bank, Israeli army gunfire have left 21 killed among them one child. In addition to 3363 injured, the Health Ministry announced in its report. The ministry added that in the West Bank there were 210 children and 19 women among those injured.
Moreover, the Ministry explained in its report that 410 people were injured by the use of live rounds by Israeli forces in addition to 159 injured by rubber-coated steel bullets.
The report also showed that 999 people were injured in Jerusalem, 483 were moved to hospitals for treatment, 60 on which are critical.
More Details provided in The Palestinian Health Ministry report:
Ramallah: 80, including 8 in serious condition, 20 in moderate condition, and 52 minor
Hebron: 189, including 16 in serious condition, 120 in moderate condition, and 53 minor
Bethlehem: 23, including two serious injuries, 11 in a moderate condition, and 10 lightly
Nablus: 130 injuries, including 20 in a serious condition, 53 in a moderate condition, and 58 in a minor condition
Jenin: 69 injuries, including 6 in a serious condition, 13 in a moderate condition, and 50 in a minor condition
Tulkarm: 75 injuries, including 6 serious, 22 moderate and 47 minor injuries
Salfit: 19 injuries, including 3 in serious condition, 10 in moderate condition, and 6 slight
Tubas: 12 injuries, including 2 serious, 4 moderate and 6 minor injuries
MoH said that in the Gaza Strip, 188 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes, including 55 children below the age of 18, and 33 women.
Meanwhile in the West Bank, a total of 21 Palestinian protesters were shot dead with live ammunition by Israeli occupation forces that violently crashed protests which broke out in protest of the aggression on Gaza.
In the Gaza Strip, 1225 Palestinians have been wounded by the Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombing, while in the West Bank, a total of 4,363 Palestinians have been wounded by Israeli occupation forces or illegal settlers.
Health Ministry: 209 killed, 5687 injured Since the Start of Israel’s offensive
The Palestinian Health Ministry announced on Sunday evening that death toll due Israel’s offensive targeting the Gaza Strip and West Bank have reached 209, meanwhile 5687 were injured so far.
In the Gaza Strip 188 Palestinians were killed among them 55 children, 33 women. At least 12300 more were injured, the Health Ministry reported.
Meanwhile in the West Bank, Israeli army gunfire have left 21 killed among them one child. In addition to 3363 injured, the Health Ministry announced in its report. The ministry added that in the West Bank there were 210 children and 19 women among those injured.
Moreover, the Ministry explained in its report that 410 people were injured by the use of live rounds by Israeli forces in addition to 159 injured by rubber-coated steel bullets.
The report also showed that 999 people were injured in Jerusalem, 483 were moved to hospitals for treatment, 60 on which are critical.
More Details provided in The Palestinian Health Ministry report:
Ramallah: 80, including 8 in serious condition, 20 in moderate condition, and 52 minor
Hebron: 189, including 16 in serious condition, 120 in moderate condition, and 53 minor
Bethlehem: 23, including two serious injuries, 11 in a moderate condition, and 10 lightly
Nablus: 130 injuries, including 20 in a serious condition, 53 in a moderate condition, and 58 in a minor condition
Jenin: 69 injuries, including 6 in a serious condition, 13 in a moderate condition, and 50 in a minor condition
Tulkarm: 75 injuries, including 6 serious, 22 moderate and 47 minor injuries
Salfit: 19 injuries, including 3 in serious condition, 10 in moderate condition, and 6 slight
Tubas: 12 injuries, including 2 serious, 4 moderate and 6 minor injuries
B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights, said on Sunday that Israel is committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
The human rights organization confirmed that the besieged Gaza Strip is witnessing destruction and killing by Israel not witnessed since 2014.
B'Tselem reported that Israel caused damage to commercial shops and important structures in Gaza such as electricity and water networks, streets and agricultural lands and three hospitals, one in Beit Hanoun, and the Indonesian Hospital and Hala Al Shawa Health Center.
It also pointed out that since 2002, the West Bank has not witnessed the amount of killings that it witnessed on Friday. The Israeli forces killed at least ten Palestinians, most of them during demonstrations or confrontations and wounded 251 others, including 26 seriously injured and one of them was shot in his head and he is at risk of death.
B'Tselem reported that the occupation forces in East Jerusalem had injured about 1,000 Palestinians, during the period 10/05/2021 - 14/05/2021.
“The Israeli regime practices systematic violence against the Palestinians everywhere in the occupied territories”, the organization underlined.
The human rights organization confirmed that the besieged Gaza Strip is witnessing destruction and killing by Israel not witnessed since 2014.
B'Tselem reported that Israel caused damage to commercial shops and important structures in Gaza such as electricity and water networks, streets and agricultural lands and three hospitals, one in Beit Hanoun, and the Indonesian Hospital and Hala Al Shawa Health Center.
It also pointed out that since 2002, the West Bank has not witnessed the amount of killings that it witnessed on Friday. The Israeli forces killed at least ten Palestinians, most of them during demonstrations or confrontations and wounded 251 others, including 26 seriously injured and one of them was shot in his head and he is at risk of death.
B'Tselem reported that the occupation forces in East Jerusalem had injured about 1,000 Palestinians, during the period 10/05/2021 - 14/05/2021.
“The Israeli regime practices systematic violence against the Palestinians everywhere in the occupied territories”, the organization underlined.
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