OIC Convenes Emergency Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Over Israeli Annexation Moves in West Bank

Islamic bloc condemns Israeli violations, vows unified response to protect Palestinian rights
JEDDAH —
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened an emergency meeting of its Executive Committee at ministerial level in Jeddah on Thursday, rallying member states in response to Israel’s latest moves to expand its control over large swathes of the occupied West Bank.
The meeting was triggered by Israel’s plans to designate significant portions of the West Bank as “state land” — a step critics widely describe as de facto annexation. The Israeli security cabinet had approved a series of resolutions on February 8 designed to tilt conditions in the occupied territory in favour of illegal Israeli settlers while further marginalising the Palestinian population.
The gathering brought together foreign ministers, ambassadors, and diplomatic delegations from across the 57-member bloc. Participants discussed a range of measures and strategies aimed at presenting a unified front against Israeli violations and mobilising the international community to uphold Palestinian rights.
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Al-Khuraiji used the session to reaffirm his government’s unequivocal rejection of Israeli actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, warning that such moves “undermine peace and stability in the region.” He condemned all illegal settlement construction in the West Bank and drew attention to what he described as the ongoing nature of Israeli aggression against Palestinian lands.
The OIC, in an official statement, said the emergency session was part of broader high-level diplomatic efforts in response to Israel’s annexation drive, stressing that its primary objective was to galvanise global action in defence of the “legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”
The emergency session signals growing alarm within the Islamic world over what member states view as an accelerating campaign to permanently alter the legal and demographic character of the occupied West Bank ahead of any future peace negotiations.