Full text of the speech by Dr. Amir Abdullahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of I.R. Iran, at the extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee of

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

Mr. President

Distinguished Colleagues

Ladies and Gentlemen

At the outset, I would like to thank the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for organizing this extraordinary meeting of the executive committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Also, I’d like to appreciate the efforts of His Excellency Mr. Hossein Ebrahim Taha and his colleagues for preparing the work of this meeting.

Undoubtedly, the issue of Palestine today has turned into an axis of unity among the Muslim world with the cause of defense for the cultural and civilizational identity of the first Qibla of Muslims against repeated assaults of the occupying Zionist regime. Unfortunately, the Qods-occupying Zionist regime enjoys full support of the United States of America and the West and uses this leverage to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, racial discrimination, forced displacement and genocide against the oppressed people of Palestine.  

The US is responsible for these crimes.

The action of Israel's child-killing regime in bombing a hospital in Gaza last night and killing about 1,000 civilians, patients and medical staff is not compatible with any logic; who believes the resistance would use such an advanced bomb?

Today, in all the embassies of the Islamic Republic of Iran abroad, the Iranian flag is at half-mast as a sign of solidarity and respect for the recent martyrs of Palestine, and Iran has declared today a day of public mourning.

Distinguished colleagues

Continued usurp of the territories of Palestine and expansion of illegal settlements, mass murders, destruction of houses and farmlands of Palestinians, detaining and torturing men, women and even children, controlling the water and electricity sources of Palestine and insulting the al-Aqsa Mosque are only parts of the crimes and inhuman measures taken by the Zionist regime. They even insult the religious functions and rituals of Christians.

Distinguished sisters and brothers

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has been founded on the Palestinian cause and the holy Quds must remain the number one issue of the Muslim world. There is no doubt that the Al-Aqsa Storm Operation proved that the Palestinian cause is still alive. Without doubt, Palestine after the al-Aqsa Storm will be definitely different from the Palestine of the past.

Mr. President

In line with taking a practical and effective action to support the nation of Palestine, the Islamic Republic of Iran tables the following proposals for the consideration of this august meeting:

1. Joint efforts by the Muslim countries to help immediately stop the war crimes and mass killing of civilians especially women and children in Gaza by the Zionist regime.
2. To help open safe routes for sending humanitarian aid particularly food, water, fuel and medicine to the besieged people of Gaza.
3. It is necessary for Muslim states to enforce political and economic sanctions on the Zionist regime.
4. To set up a war crime tribunal by the OIC member states to try Israeli warmongers including Israeli pilots, army commanders and political authorities.
5. To submit a request by the OIC member states to the Security Council of the United Nations to implement the provisions of the UN resolutions in support of the self-determination rights of the people of Palestine and condemnation of settlement expansion in occupied territories.
6. To activate permanent representatives of the OIC member states to the UN in Geneva to follow up the crimes of the Zionist regime before international institutions especially the Human Rights Council.
7. To mandate the OIC Secretariate to create an archive of evidence of war crimes and human rights violations and breach of international humanitarian law by the Zionist regime against the people of Palestine in order to be used in future international tribunals.
8. To send a delegation of Islamic countries to Gaza to examine the humanitarian situation there.
9. To form a legal institute of Muslim lawyers to provide legal services to the people of Palestine.
10. We strongly condemn any forced displacement of the people of Gaza and consider this as another war crime of the Zionist regime.
11. It is now time for Muslim states to cut their relations with Israel as a sign of practical protest against Israeli war crimes.
12. Religious figures and Christian centers, especially the Vatican, are expected to take effective measures to immediately stop the war crimes in Gaza and the attack on Christian and Islamic holy sites in Al-Aqsa Mosque and the entirety of Palestine.

I thank you for your kind attention.