Baghdad: The foreign ministers of eight Arab and Islamic countries have jointly condemned recent statements made by Israeli officials regarding the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. The officials, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, have been criticized for their remarks that suggest the forced removal of Palestinians from their homeland.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the foreign ministers from Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement on Sunday. They expressed their strongest condemnation of the statements by Katz and Ben-Gvir, which proposed plans and mechanisms for forcibly displacing Palestinians. The ministers stressed that such statements are a blatant violation of international law and pose a direct threat to the rights of the Palestinian people.

The statement emphasized the unequivocal rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians, whether within the occupied Palestinian territory or beyond, under any guise. The ministers highlighted the severe consequences of turning these calls into official policy or actionable measures, warning that such actions would challenge international peace efforts.

Linking the issue to a broader geopolitical context, the statement referenced US President Donald Trump’s plan for the Gaza Strip, which opposes forced displacement. The ministers warned that pursuing these calls would jeopardize regional stability.

They reiterated the importance of maintaining the unity of Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank with East Jerusalem. The ministers advocated for a two-state solution, establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in alignment with international resolutions.

The joint statement urged the international community, especially the UN Security Council, to oppose any attempts to change the demographic or geographic realities in the occupied Palestinian territories and to uphold international law.

In their concluding remarks, the ministers expressed full support for the Palestinian people’s resilience and rejected any efforts to undermine their legitimate rights. This comes in response to Ben-Gvir’s proposal for a large-scale Palestinian exodus from Gaza and Katz’s comments about relocating Palestinians by sea and land, claims that have sparked widespread international criticism.