Bahrain attends OIC session on Palestine

Istanbul, May 18 (BNA): Representing His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, participated in the seventh extraordinary session of the Islamic Summit Conference, in response to the grave developments in the State of Palestine. The minister thanked Turkey, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for the generous invitation to hold the conference to discuss the repercussions of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza, in order to deal with the loss of dozens of martyrs and thousands of wounded children, women and young unarmed civilians who were demonstrating peacefully on the anniversary of the Nakba. In his address to the summit, Shaikh Khalid affirmed that the Palestinian issue necessitates constant coordination and consultation, in order “to overcome the current challenges related to our central cause,” noting that “our Palestinian brothers are being killed, marginalized, and disregarded to all international laws, norms and human rights principles.” The minister pointed out that Israel, the occupying power, continues to pursue its policies and practices in violation of international resolutions, in complete disregard of the most basic rules of international law. He also stressed full solidarity with the Palestinians, in their legitimate struggle for the establishment of an independent and sovereign state and on the 4 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the return of refugees, on the basis of a two-state solution, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy. The minister stressed the need for all countries to abide by the legal status of East Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Palestine, and one of the final status issues between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. Shaikh Khalid condemned all Israeli actions against the people of Jerusalem and the religious sites, Islamic and Christian, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque which is exposed daily and increasingly to the desecration and violations that are rejected and that contravene the resolutions of international legitimacy. Under these resolutions, the Israeli occupation authorities must not harm these places and must refrain from any violations against religious sites, he added, calling on the international community to provide international protection for the Palestinian people and the establishment of an international commission of inquiry in the recent events in Gaza, as stated in the resolution adopted by the Council of the Arab League at its meeting in Cairo on May 17. The minister reiterated the importance of adhering to the issue of refugees and the right of return and a just and comprehensive peace, as stipulated in the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative. He affirmed Bahrain’s support of the role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and the noble goals for which it was established, indicating that the resolution of the question of refugees was an international responsibility to be assumed by everyone. A statement issued by the conference condemned the criminal actions of Israeli forces against the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, especially in the Gaza Strip, where unarmed Palestinian civilians exercise their legitimate right to protest against this inhumane and illegal occupation. The conference held Israel, the occupying power, accountable for the atrocities it has committed in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly for its attack on May 14, which resulted in the deliberate killing of at least 60 civilians and the injury of around 2,700 others. The statement called on the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council, to fulfil its legal obligations to defend international law and order in Palestine and to act in accordance with its legal and moral obligation to ensure accountability for such crimes committed by Israel, the occupying Power, without deterrence or punishment, and to put an end to these barbaric acts as well as to provide international protection for the Palestinian people. The statement stressed the need for international protection of the Palestinian population through the dispatch of an international protection force, calling upon the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to immediately establish an independent international commission of experts to investigate the crimes and massacres committed by the Israeli forces against unarmed peaceful demonstrators in the Gaza Strip to prove the condemnation of Israeli officials and to report the results to the relevant international bodies. It also called upon the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteurs and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to take measures to establish an international commission, aiming to investigate the atrocities in the Gaza Strip and to enable the Committee to initiate a field investigation within a specific time frame, to ensure a clear mechanism to determine the extent to which Israeli officials are involved, to bring justice to the victims and to put an end to impunity for perpetrators. The statement reaffirmed the central importance of the Palestinian cause and the status of Al-Quds Al-Sharif for the Islamic Nation; the initial support of the Palestinian people in their quest for the realization of their inalienable national rights, including the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State on the borders of June 4, 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital, calling upon all States to officially recognize the State of Palestine. The statement also confirmed the rejection of the illegal decision of the US President to recognize Jerusalem as the alleged capital of Israel, the occupying power, regarding the decision as null, void and a violation of international legitimacy, as it violates the historical, legal, natural and national rights of the Palestinian people and deliberately attempts to undermine all opportunities for peace and a threat to international peace and security. The statement condemned the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, noting that it is a provocative act, a flagrant violation of international law, and an attack on the international order, including the United Nations, which encourages Israel, the occupying Power, to further escalate its illegal and criminal action against the Palestinian people. The statement stressed that Jerusalem will always remain the capital of Palestine, and that the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem does not change the legal status of the occupied city and does not legitimize its illegal annexation by Israel, the occupying Power. The statement pointed out that any state following the US administration’s decision, is a nation complicit at undermining international law and order. It also expresses its determination to deal with these heinous acts by taking appropriate measures; and to take all necessary steps to prevent other States from following the illegal American move by transferring their embassies to Jerusalem, condemning in this regard Guatemala's transfer of its embassy to Jerusalem. The member states, the General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, its subsidiary organs and specialised and affiliated institutions called upon taking the necessary measures to implement economic restrictions on countries, officials, parliaments, companies or individuals who recognize the annexation of Jerusalem by Israel.