JEDDAH, May 18, 2026 (WAFA) – The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) warned on Monday 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 Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The General Secretariat affirmed that these plans are part of de-Palestinization policies aimed at imposing new demographic and geographic realities on the ground to alter the identity of the Old City of 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 expressed its strong condemnation of the Israeli occupation authorities’ decision to approve a colonial 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 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 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 UN General Assembly, as part of its attempts to liquidate the Palestinian refugee issue, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, relevant UN resolutions, and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.

It renewed its call for 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 Jerusalem, its people, its Islamic and Christian holy sites, and its historical landmarks.

It also emphasized the need to provide protection to UN agencies operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, foremost among them UNRWA, and to enable them to carry out their mandates without hindrance.

K.F.