HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi reaffirmed Qatar's firm position in support of the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle to regain their rights and occupied land.
During the open-ended virtual extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) Executive Committee regarding the government of the Israeli occupations threat to annex parts of the territory of the State of Palestine occupied in 1967, HE al-Muraikhi said in a statement that Qatar took the initiative to participate in this meeting based on its steadfast stance towards the Palestinian cause and its full solidarity with the brotherly Palestinian people.
He noted that the meeting is being held to consider a matter of great importance and urgency, which requires the OIC to take a firm stand, especially as it relates to the Palestinian cause, the organisation's top priority.
He added that at a time when the world is preoccupied with the many challenges it faces, foremost among which is the Coronavirus crisis (Covid-19), it should not divert attention from the danger posed by Israel's attempts to move forward in its policies and plans to annex parts of the occupied Palestinian territory, accelerate the pace of colonial settlement there and other illegal and unlawful measures.
The minister stressed that the pursuit of peace on the basis of international law and legitimacy is the position that Qatar continuously emphasises, adding that Wednesday's meeting was a result of the organisation's understanding of the seriousness of the Israeli government's threat. He added that such a move would undermine the two-state solution, which the whole world agreed was the way to achieve lasting, just and comprehensive peace.
He pointed out that, in contrast to these positions, the Israeli government's insistence on taking reckless and unimaginable steps that undermine the chances of peace and do not serve anyone's interest.
HE al-Muraikhi said that the Israeli government's insistence on taking unilateral steps -- which is categorically rejected, not only by the Palestinians but also by the whole world -- is evidence of clear intransigence and a symptom of the efforts to seek a peaceful settlement and adherence to the unilateral solution, which has proven to be futile year after year.
He added that the OIC must reiterate its firm and principled position that there is no alternative to a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue in all its aspects, which is reached through negotiations between the two parties and is based on agreed references and international legitimacy decisions, the principle of land for peace and the Arab Peace Initiative, and realise the two-state solution that includes the establishment of an independent and viable State of Palestine on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He pointed out that this entails ending occupation of all Arab lands, including the occupied Syrian Golan and the occupied Lebanese territories, and ensuring the absolute rights of the Palestinian people, as well as a just solution to the refugee issue.
He noted that the organisation supports the sincere efforts seeking a comprehensive, just and lasting peace settlement and in accordance with international law and the Charter and the resolutions of the United Nations two-state solution.
HE al-Muraikhi stressed that the practices of the occupying power that violate international law and United Nations resolutions are obstacles to a solution, noting that these practices include occupation, settlement and illegal annexation of lands, and procedures that affect the nature of Jerusalem, its legal status, demographic composition, and religious sanctities, as well as the use of violence and arbitrary detention against Palestinians, and the continued blockade of the Gaza Strip.
