Eight Arab and Islamic Countries Urge Ceasefire in Gaza and End to All Violations

Eight Arab and Islamic countries expressed deep concern about the ongoing humanitarian suffering in Gaza, calling on Israel to immediately fulfill its commitments under the first phase of the comprehensive plan, including guaranteeing the prompt, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance and early recovery supplies, and facilitating the rehabilitation of vital infrastructure.

The eight countries — whose foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey met in New York yesterday, Monday, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly — stressed the necessity of committing to a ceasefire and ending all violations.

The ministers said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the roadmap forms an integral part of the comprehensive plan and provides a framework for implementing its second phase, including the confinement of weapons concurrent with a full Israeli withdrawal, the deployment of an international stabilization force, the national committee for Gaza assuming its responsibilities throughout the Gaza Strip, and the start of early recovery and reconstruction operations across the territory. The ministers called on all parties to fulfill their obligations, each in their respective areas, in good faith and without delay.

The ministers reiterated their categorical rejection of any measures aimed at expelling the Palestinian people or forcibly displacing them from their homeland, or any attempts to change the geographic or demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territory.

In this context, they expressed their condemnation of illegal measures intended to consolidate Israeli control and annexation, including accelerated settlement expansion, land confiscation, the demolition of Palestinian homes, settler violence and terrorism, and forced displacement, and they called for these measures to stop and be reversed immediately.

They also expressed deep concern about measures that undermine the historical and legal status quo of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

The ministers welcomed recent measures taken by the United Kingdom, as well as broader national and European efforts, in response to illegal Israeli settlement activity, including measures aimed at stopping trade with illegal Israeli settlements, and they called for further effective measures to halt settlement expansion and ensure accountability for settler violence.

They also affirmed that the Gaza Strip must remain an integral part of the Palestinian territory, stressing that implementation of the comprehensive plan should contribute to reuniting the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and lead to a credible, irreversible path toward the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of a sovereign, viable and independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, through the implementation of the two-state solution.

The ministers lauded the leadership of U.S. President Donald Trump, affirming the central role of the United States in ensuring implementation of the comprehensive plan. They called for sustained and active American engagement to ensure that all parties, including Israel, meet their commitments and obligations and to overcome the obstacles hindering the implementation of the roadmap, stressing that tangible progress on the ground will enhance the credibility of the Peace Council and the effectiveness of the plan and create much-needed momentum.

The ministers reiterated their readiness to continue working collectively with the United States, the Peace Council, the Palestinian Authority and all relevant parties to advance the full implementation of the comprehensive plan and its roadmap, alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, ensure their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state, and achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.