CAIRO – 16 August 2025: Foreign ministers of 31 Arab and Muslim countries, as well as secretary generals of the Arab League (AL), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), strongly condemned remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Israeli media about the so-called "Greater Israel."
In a joint statement released on Friday, they said these statements show blatant disregard for international law and the foundations of stable international relations and pose a direct threat to the Arab national security and to state sovereignty, as well as to both regional and global peace and security.
They stressed while Arab and Muslim states reaffirm their commitment to international legitimacy and the UN Charter – particularly Article 2, Paragraph 4, which prohibits the use of force or the threat of force – they will pursue all policies and measures that consolidate peace, in a way that serves the interests of all nations and peoples in security, stability and development, away from illusions of domination and the imposition of power.
They also strongly condemned Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's approval of a settlement plan in the so-called "E1" area, as well as his extremist and racist remarks on rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state.
They described the move as a flagrant violation of international law and an assault on the Palestinian people's inalienable right to establish an independent and sovereign state on the 1967 borders, with Al Quds (East Jerusalem) as its capital.
Moreover, they underlined that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories, and rejected the settlement plan and all other illegal Israeli measures, which blatantly breach international law and UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334 that condemns all Israeli settlement activities aimed at altering the demographic composition and legal status of the occupied Palestinian territories since 1967, including East Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Palestine.
They highlighted the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which obligates Israel to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territories as rapidly as possible and make reparation for the damage caused to all the natural or legal persons concerned, the statement read.
The ministers warned against Israel's annexation policies and the persistence of its far-right government in pursuing settlement expansion across the occupied West Bank, including attempts to undermine Islamic and Christian holy sites – foremost among them Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as settler violence, daily incursions into Palestinian towns, villages and refugee camps, the systematic destruction of refugee camps and the forced displacement of Palestinians from their homes.
Such actions, they said, fuel cycles of violence and conflict, undermine prospects for just and comprehensive peace, and are driven by ideological and racist delusions that risk escalating the conflict in uncontrollable ways, threatening both regional and global stability, according to the statement.
In a related context, they expressed their condemnation of Israeli crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip and called for a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave, along with ensuring unconditional access for humanitarian aid.
They denounced Israel's use of starvation as a weapon of genocide, and demanded an immediate end to the deadly blockade, the reopening of crossings into Gaza, and held Israel – as the occupying power – fully responsible for the collapse of health and relief systems in the enclave.
The signatories to the statement reiterated their total rejection of any attempt to forcibly displace the Palestinian people under any pretext, and urged the international community to press Israel to end its aggression and withdraw completely from Gaza, paving the way for the implementation of the joint Arab-Islamic plan for early recovery and reconstruction.
They stressed that Gaza is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories, and that the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, must run Gaza as the case in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with an Arab and international support.
On that score, they called on the international community, most particularly the permanent members of the UN Security Council – especially the US – to shoulder their legal and moral responsibilities by compelling Israel to halt its aggression in Gaza and its escalation in the occupied West Bank, to cease inflammatory rhetoric by its officials, and to provide international protection for the Palestinian people, enabling them to realize their legitimate rights, notably the establishment of an independent, sovereign state on their national soil, and to ensure accountability for those responsible for crimes and violations against them, the statement concluded.
Sat, Aug. 16, 2025
