The Final Statement of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Meeting Calls on Israel for a Ceasefire

SadaNews - A final statement was issued regarding the emergency meeting of the Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the ambassadorial level, concerning the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and targeting sacred sites in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.

The meeting was held at the headquarters of the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The text of the statement is as follows, as received by "SadaNews".

The emergency meeting of the Executive Committee of the OIC at the ambassadorial level regarding the Israeli assaults on sacred sites in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, convened in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 22, 2025;
Stemming from the principles and objectives of the OIC Charter;
Reaffirming all decisions issued by successive sessions of the Islamic Summit Conference and the Council of Foreign Ministers and the Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers regarding the Palestine and Al-Quds al-Sharif issues;
Reiterating the centrality of the Palestine and Al-Quds al-Sharif issue for the entire Islamic nation, and the Arab and Islamic identity of the city of Al-Quds al-Sharif, and the necessity to defend the sanctity of Islamic and Christian holy sites therein;
Noting the unique religious, historical, and cultural significance of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron as one of the Palestinian sites listed on UNESCO's endangered World Heritage list, and the fourth of the sacred places among Muslims;
Reaffirming UNESCO's decisions and its responsibility towards preserving and protecting the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Old City of Hebron, as an integral part of the land of the State of Palestine and its cultural heritage, and the necessity to confront the crime of cultural genocide against the Palestinian people committed by the Israeli occupation, including the distortion of heritage, memory, and Palestinian national identity, attempts to obliterate them, and attempts to impose control over the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, judaizing it and changing its identity and historical landmarks;
Expressing grave concern regarding the attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites in the occupied Palestinian State, especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, from escalating Israeli assaults:
1- Reiterates the necessity to obligate Israel, the occupying power, to implement a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire, facilitate the return of displaced persons to their homes, withdraw Israeli occupation forces, and fully allow the State of Palestine to assume its responsibilities, with Arab, Islamic, and international support, and open all crossings with the Gaza Strip and for the withdrawal of occupation forces from the entire Gaza Strip, including the vicinity of the Rafah crossing on the Palestinian side, allowing its operation in light of the continued operation of the crossing on the Egyptian side without interruption, and ensuring adequate delivery of humanitarian assistance to all areas of the Gaza Strip. It emphasizes the responsibility of all states to confront and stop grave crimes, fully comply with international law and the precautionary measures ordered by the International Court of Justice, and adhere to United Nations Security Council resolutions 2735 and 2728 (2024).
2- Strongly condemns the policy of starvation, systematic destruction, and illegal Israeli blockade, imposition of illegal mechanisms for distributing aid, undermining the UN's work in aid distribution, and targeting civilians with humiliation and killing while receiving assistance according to the illegal Israeli mechanism, practices that have severely aggravated the humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip and rendered it an unlivable area in preparation for Israeli scenarios involving the expulsion or displacement or demographic change of Gaza's population.
3- Rejects any calls, plans, or policies aimed at any form of displacement of the Palestinian people inside or outside Palestine, including the Gaza Strip, or changing the demographic makeup, and warns all countries against cooperating directly or indirectly with Israeli displacement plans, as any potential cooperation in this context constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law.
4- Warns of the danger of the continued and escalating military aggression and rising crimes committed by the Israeli occupation in the West Bank, especially in refugee camps, including arrests, home demolitions, destruction of infrastructure, forced displacement, and migration of the Palestinian people and changing demographic makeup, colonial settlement, and attempts to impose alleged Israeli sovereignty over it, in blatant violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
5- Strongly condemns the illegal and dangerous plans and practices of the Israeli occupation to transfer the authority of administering the Ibrahimi Mosque and overseeing it from the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs and the Hebron Municipality to an illegal settlement council called "the Jewish Religious Council of Kiryat Arba," and attempts to change its historical, cultural, and religious significance, affirming that such actions constitute a flagrant violation of United Nations and UNESCO resolutions and international agreements that stipulate the protection of cultural, religious, and civil rights and properties, especially during armed conflicts.
6- Strongly condemns the recent Israeli bombing of the Holy Family Church of the Latin Patriarchate in Gaza City, which resulted in the martyrdom and injury of several innocent Palestinian civilians, causing severe damage to the church building and its historical facilities, and the attacks carried out by extremist settlers, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, on the Green Church and the Christian cemetery in the town of Al-Taybeh near Ramallah, in blatant violation of all values, treaties, and international resolutions that protect places of worship.
7- Condemns the illegal policies of the Israeli occupation aimed at judaizing the occupied city of Jerusalem and attempts to change its geographic and demographic character through annexation and colonial settlement policies, demolition of homes, confiscation of lands and properties, closure of Palestinian shops and institutions, and imposing Israeli educational curricula, in addition to attempts to change the historical and legal status of Islamic and Christian holy sites, particularly the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, in blatant violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
8- Affirms that there is no sovereignty for Israel, the illegal occupying authority, over the land of occupied Palestine or above or below it, including Al-Quds al-Sharif, nor on any religious, historical, or World Heritage sites in the State of Palestine, and reaffirms its support for the exclusive right of the State of Palestine to manage, maintain, and protect the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and ensure freedom of access and religious practices therein, preserving its cultural and historical identity and archaeological features, considering that to be among the religious and cultural rights of the Palestinian people.
9- Assigns the Islamic group to continue engaging with UNESCO and its World Heritage Committee and relevant international organizations to include both tangible and intangible cultural heritage sites in Palestine on specialized World Heritage lists, and to pressure Israel, the occupying power, to stop assaults and systematic violations against historical, religious, and cultural sites in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, and obliging it to implement all UNESCO decisions concerning safeguarding the safety and authenticity of Palestinian sites listed on the World Heritage list.
10- Calls on the UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 1967, along with all relevant UN agencies, to contribute to monitoring, protecting, and promoting the cultural rights of the Palestinian people, documenting Israeli violations of human rights related to culture and heritage, and reporting on them, as well as providing possible technical assistance to the Palestinian government in this regard and ensuring that the Israeli occupation respects and fulfills its obligations concerning cultural rights as part of fundamental human rights.
11- Tasks the General Secretariat of the organization to coordinate with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Research Center for History, Arts, and Islamic Culture (IRCICA), and any other relevant agencies, to organize activities and events that highlight the religious, historical, and cultural importance of the Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, intensifying efforts to protect Palestinian cultural heritage and compiling a record of the damage inflicted on Palestinian cultural heritage as a result of Israeli aggression, and confronting all acts of looting, plundering, destruction, and distortion committed by the Israeli occupation against human cultural heritage in Palestine.
12- Calls on UNESCO to perform its role in preserving and protecting cultural and historical heritage in Palestine and to send a mission for joint monitoring between the World Heritage Center and the World Monument Fund to the occupied Palestinian territories, including the city of Al-Quds al-Sharif, to include the Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, and assess the preservation state of the material heritage and the impact of Israeli interventions on the outstanding universal value of these sites.
13- Calls on all countries to contribute to the restoration of the Old City of Hebron and the preservation of the heritage and civilization of this ancient city, enhancing the steadfastness of its Palestinian citizens, supporting cultural facilities and infrastructure, and countering attempts and crimes of the Israeli occupation aimed at stealing, destroying, distorting, and tarnishing the cultural heritage of the Palestinian people.
14- Calls on the international community to take practical and tangible steps, including imposing sanctions on the Israeli colonial system, to cease all illegal practices, measures, and policies, and to hold Israel, the illegitimate colonial occupying authority, accountable for all its crimes and violations of international humanitarian law, by both its government officials and its occupying forces and terrorist settlers.
15- Assigns the General Secretariat of the organization, in coordination with the Statistical, Economic, Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) and the Union of News Agencies of OIC countries and the Research Center for History, Arts, and Islamic Culture (IRCICA), to organize cultural and media events aimed at raising awareness of the serious violations against Islamic holy sites in Palestine, particularly the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, through training and cooperation initiatives for Palestinian experts while simultaneously enhancing their skills in developing Islamic tourism heritage management and contributing to the restoration and protection of historical, cultural, and religious sites in the Palestinian territories and highlighting their cultural, heritage, historical, and religious significance.
16- Requests the General Secretariat to coordinate with ICESCO, IRCICA, and the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the OIC and other relevant bodies to hold a specialized workshop for experts in international law and heritage in member states to discuss and propose a plan of action to confront the serious violations committed by Israel, the illegitimate occupying authority, against the heritage, cultural, and religious sites in Palestine and provide the necessary recommendations in this regard.
17- Emphasizes the importance of involving youth in supporting efforts to preserve the cultural and historical identity of the State of Palestine, encouraging the General Secretariat of the organization to coordinate with relevant institutions under the OIC, such as the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum and the World Islamic Scout Union, to initiate educational and cultural programs that enhance solidarity with the people of Palestine and contribute to preserving cultural heritage and alleviating sustainable development.
18- Strongly condemns and warns against the continuing danger of the illegal seizure of Palestinian tax revenues by the Israeli occupation, contrary to signed agreements, thereby threatening the Palestinian government’s ability to deliver basic services and exacerbating the economic and humanitarian crisis suffered by the Palestinian people, calling on the international community to pressure Israel, the occupying power, to compel it to fulfill its legal and financial obligations in this regard.
19- Calls on member states to enhance financial, economic, and humanitarian support for the State of Palestine and emphasizes the necessity of activating the Islamic financial safety net in accordance with decisions from successive sessions of the Islamic Summit Conference and the Council of Foreign Ministers in this regard, in order to contribute to enabling the Palestinian government to meet its obligations towards the Palestinian people, especially in light of the Israeli aggression.
20- Calls on member states of the organization to boycott all festivals and academic, cultural, artistic, and sports activities organized by official or civil society institutions in Israel, due to their role in utilizing culture and art to entrench the system of occupation, colonial settlement, and Israeli apartheid or justifying it or improving its image and concealing the ongoing Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people, as well as enhancing Israeli cultural appropriation of Palestinian culture and arts.
21- Requests the Secretary-General to follow up on the implementation of what is stated in this statement and provide a report on it at the next session of the Council of Foreign Ministers.