OIC Warns of Israel's Targeting of Holy Sites, UNRWA Facilities

OIC Secretariat in Jeddah.

Jeddah, 18 May - The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has warned of the danger posed by the Israeli occupation’s seizure of a number of historic buildings, Palestinian properties, and Islamic endowments in the vicinity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The General Secretariat affirmed that these plans are part of Judaization policies aimed at imposing new demographic and geographic realities on the ground to alter the identity of the Old City in occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem), undermining the historical and legal status of the holy sites, and obliterating the deep-rooted civilizational, historical, and cultural heritage of the Palestinian people there.

It also expressed its strong condemnation of the Israeli occupation authorities’ decision to approve a settlement plan to convert the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which was forcibly seized in violation of international law in occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem), into a museum and headquarters for the so-called “Israeli Ministry of Security.”

The General Secretariat emphasized that the Israeli occupation has no sovereignty over the occupied city of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), and that these unacceptable Israeli measures constitute an extension of racist policies, practices, and invalid legislation aimed at undermining the existence of UNRWA, its pivotal role, its facilities, its staff, and its mandate as approved by the United Nations General Assembly, as part of its attempts to liquidate the Palestinian refugee issue, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, relevant UN resolutions, and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.

The General Secretariat renewed its call on all international actors to intervene immediately and urgently to compel the Israeli occupation to cease all these crimes, violations, and ongoing attacks against the occupied city of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), its people, its Islamic and Christian holy sites, and its historical landmarks. It also emphasized the need to provide protection to United Nations agencies operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, foremost among them UNRWA, and to enable them to carry out their mandates without hindrance. - OIC News