JEDDAH, February 26, 2026 (WAFA) — The Executive Committee of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened an emergency meeting at the level of foreign ministers on Thursday at its General Secretariat headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the serious repercussions of Israeli measures aimed at annexing parts of the occupied West Bank.
The meeting brought together a large number of foreign ministers, ambassadors, and permanent representatives of member states to address the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East and to coordinate a unified Islamic position in response to Israeli actions.
Gambian Foreign Minister Sering Modou Njie, chairing the extraordinary open-ended session, said recent Israeli measures in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, constitute a flagrant violation of international law and undermine prospects for a two-state solution.
He said Israeli decisions to expand settlement activity in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, attempt to impose a new reality by altering the legal, demographic, and geographic character of the occupied territory, describing the measures as illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016), which affirms the illegality of Israeli settlements.
Njie reiterated that the Palestinian cause remains central to the Islamic world and called for translating political positions into coordinated diplomatic action and tangible support for Palestinian resilience.
Assistant Secretary-General for Palestine and Jerusalem Affairs at the OIC Samir Bakr Diab warned of the dangers posed by Israeli policies aimed at deepening control, expanding settlement activity, and annexation, as well as altering the legal and political status of the occupied Palestinian territory.
He stressed that Israel, as an occupying power, holds no sovereignty over the Palestinian territory, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
He added that Israel's continued presence in the occupied territory is illegal and must end in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions, including Resolution 2334 and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.
Diab also cited reports indicating that more than 600 Palestinians have been killed and 1,600 injured since the ceasefire agreement of October 11, 2025, and called for swift implementation of the second phase of the peace plan under UN Security Council Resolution 2803, including a sustainable ceasefire, opening of crossings, delivery of humanitarian aid, full Israeli withdrawal, and the launch of reconstruction efforts, while rejecting displacement and affirming the unity of Palestinian territory.
For her part, Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Varsen Aghabekian called for practical and collective action to halt Israel's colonial policies, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure respect for international law.
She said the current phase is extremely dangerous amid continued Israeli escalation and measures aimed at deepening an illegal reality through settlement expansion, annexation policies, land registration processes designating large areas as “state land,” and increased settler violence under the protection of Israeli forces.
Aghabekian warned that these actions form part of a long-standing expansionist plan intended to fragment Palestinian geography, undermine the two-state solution, and impose unilateral changes on the ground.
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