His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Faed Mustafa, Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories Sector at the League of Arab States, participated on 16 December in the opening session of the international symposium hosted by the General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah, entitled “The Palestinian Cause: Challenges and Prospects.”
The symposium was held on the sidelines of the consultative meeting that brought together the OIC and representatives of the League of Arab States and the African Union, within the framework of the joint coordination mechanism to support the Palestinian cause. The mechanism was established pursuant to the resolution of the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on 11 November 2024.
The symposium was attended by the permanent representatives of the OIC member states, the consuls-general in Jeddah, staff members of the OIC General Secretariat, as well as experts and researchers.
In his address, Ambassador Mustafa conveyed the greetings of His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, and expressed his appreciation to the OIC for organising the symposium, which he described as “embodying the depth of collective commitment to Palestine.”
In his intervention, Ambassador Mustafa reviewed the escalating challenges facing the Palestinian cause, focusing on the “unprecedented” humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in thousands of martyrs and wounded, the displacement of the majority of the population, and the collapse of health and service infrastructure. He described the war as having “inflicted deep wounds on the Arab and Islamic conscience and posed a stark moral challenge to the international community.”
Ambassador Mustafa affirmed that the current suffering is not the result of natural disasters, but rather the consequence of “systematic policies that contravene the most basic principles of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions,” thereby necessitating urgent international intervention.
He also addressed the systematic Israeli violations against the city of Jerusalem, particularly in and around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, noting that what is taking place constitutes “an official policy aimed at altering the city’s demographic character and imposing new realities on the ground.”
The Ambassador warned against the continued expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, describing it as “the greatest obstacle to achieving the two-State solution,” and criticised the policy of imposing checkpoints and “the seizure of the Palestinian people’s funds” aimed at undermining the Palestinian National Authority.
Ambassador Faed Mustafa announced that the League of Arab States is cooperating with the OIC and all brotherly and friendly states in undertaking intensive political, diplomatic, and legal efforts. He identified a central objective as “working to realise the establishment of an independent Palestinian State on the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital.”
He expressed the League’s support for international legal avenues, stating: “Documenting Israeli crimes and violations and pursuing accountability is not merely a human rights endeavour, but a legal and moral obligation.” He reaffirmed the League of Arab States’ support for proceedings before the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, calling for international cooperation in the documentation of evidence.
Despite the gravity of the situation, Dr. Mustafa pointed to the existence of “promising prospects that can be built upon if political will and international support are available.” He called for capitalising on the “positive global shift in public opinion towards Palestine” by strengthening solidarity campaigns and reinforcing rights-based and legal discourse.
He further stressed the need to develop “a comprehensive vision for the reconstruction of Gaza” alongside sustainable development programmes, asserting that “the realisation of Palestinian national unity” constitutes a fundamental entry point to confronting current challenges, through support for Palestinian dialogue leading to genuine reconciliation.
The symposium also featured addresses by His Excellency Mr. Hussein Ibrahim Taha, Secretary-General of the OIC; His Excellency Dr. Abu Holi, Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and head of the Refugee Affairs Department; His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Omar Awadallah, Undersecretary of the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs; His Excellency Mr. Hani Al-Kashef, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the OIC; as well as Dr. Issa Manasrah, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Al-Quds University, and Mr. Mohamed Hadia, a legal expert on Jerusalem affairs.
