Eight countries reject displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, warn Israel against demographic change
The foreign ministers of the eight countries stressed in a statement that Israeli proposals aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians from their land constitute a flagrant violation of international law
FiMED – Follow-up
Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE strongly condemned statements by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Defence Minister Israel Katz on displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, warning against turning calls for forced displacement into a declared Israeli policy.
In a joint statement issued on 6 September, the foreign ministers of the eight countries stressed that Israeli proposals aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians from their land constitute a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, and threaten the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
The statement affirmed the categorical rejection of any attempt to displace Palestinians, whether within the occupied Palestinian territories or outside them, warning that carrying out such plans would have serious repercussions for the region's security and stability and would undermine international efforts to end the war and achieve peace.
The eight countries stressed that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory, and that any political arrangements must preserve the unity of the Palestinian territory in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The ministers also reiterated their commitment to the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with the resolutions of international legitimacy.
The signatory states called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to act to prevent the imposition of a new demographic or geographic reality in the occupied Palestinian territories and to ensure respect for the rules of international law.
The statement comes amid escalating Israeli statements on the future of the Gaza Strip, and as Arab and Muslim countries warn that turning talk of displacement into practical measures could open the door to the mass uprooting of Palestinians and a permanent change to the map of the region.