OIC to hold meeting on Palestine following Netanyahu's statement

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) announced that it will hold a meeting at the foreign ministers level to discuss the escalation following the statement of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on West Bank territories.

The meeting is slated to be held at the OIC Headquarters on September 15 following a request from Saudi Arabia.

"The meeting will discuss the declared intention of the #Israeli Prime Minister 'to impose Israeli sovereignty all the regions of the #Jordan Valley, the Northern Dead Sea, and the settlements in the #WestBank, if he is reelected,'" OIC said in a tweet.

Condemning Netanyahu's statement, OIC said: "The OIC considered this serious declaration as new aggression on the rights of the Palestinian people and a blatant violation of the UN charter, the principles of international law and the relevant UN resolutions including Security Council resolutions No. 242 and 338."

Yousef Bin Ahmed Al Othaimeen, Secretary-General of the OIC, in an official statement said: "The OIC will be holding an extraordinary meeting at the foreign ministers level, at the request from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to address this serious Israeli escalation and take the required urgent political and legal steps to face up to this Israeli aggressive stand and to rally the Islamic countries' efforts through an emergency action plan in the face of this aggressive declaration and to confront it through all possible courses."

"Israeli occupation government should be held accountable for the repercussions of this illegal declaration, which would undermine any international efforts to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in accordance with the vision of a two-state solution," he added.

He called on all states and international organizations to reject and condemn this provocative declaration and to compel Israel to stop all unilateral procedures as null, void and bearing no legal effect under international law and relevant UN resolutions.

Al Othaimeen affirmed that the stands of the OIC and its member-states, particularly the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are aimed towards the achievement of the Palestinian people's legitimate rights according to international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab peace initiative, in favour of the establishment of the independent State of Palestine on the borders of June 1967, with Eastern Al Quds/Jerusalem as its capital.

Netanyahu on Tuesday pledged to annex the Jordon Valley in the West Bank if re-elected.