Iran calls for extraordinary OIC meeting on ‘dangerous’ Gaza plot

TEHRAN (Iran News)  Iran has condemned the “dangerous” joint U.S.-Israeli plot to forcibly relocate the people of the Gaza Strip, calling for an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address the issue.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a Saturday phone call with OIC Secretary-General Hussein Ibrahim Taha that the Islamic Ummah (community) needs to adopt a coordinated and unified stance to thwart the U.S.-Israeli plot.

He said Islamic countries have a weighty responsibility to protect the legitimate and fundamental rights of the oppressed Palestinian people, especially the right to self-determination and a safe life in their own land.

“The scheme to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza is not only a big crime that equals genocide, but also has dangerous ramifications for the stability and security of the region and the world,” Araghchi said.

“The Organization of Islamic Cooperation must take a decisive and effective decision as soon as possible by holding an extraordinary meeting with the presence of the foreign ministers of the member states to defend the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people,” he added.

Taha, for his part, condemned the crimes committed against the Palestinian people and rejected the plot to forcibly relocate the people of Gaza as completely unacceptable.

While welcoming Iran’s proposal to hold an extraordinary OIC meeting, he said that he would consult with the member states of the organization in this regard.

Araghchi also discussed the issue in separate phone calls on Sunday evening with his Turkish, Pakistani, Egyptian, and Tunisian counterparts, who welcomed Iran’s call to hold an extraordinary OIC meeting.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan underscored the need for all Islamic countries to continue supporting the rights of the Palestinian people.

Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s foreign minister, pointed to the inherent duty of the OIC to support the oppressed Palestinian people, calling for continued consultation and consultation with other Islamic countries in this regard.

Also, Egypt’s top diplomat Badr Abdelatty rejected the attempts to force the people of Gaza to leave their land as unacceptable and stressed the need for extensive consultations among Islamic countries in this regard.

Gaza and the West Bank are an integral part of Palestine, and any attempt to expel the people of Gaza from their land is unacceptable in any way, said Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti, emphasizing the existential philosophy of the OIC to support al-Quds and Palestine.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed that the U.S. take “ownership” of the Gaza Strip and turn it into a hub of tourism, a move that would permanently displace the Palestinian inhabitants of the war-torn territory. “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” the real estate investor-turned-president said in a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington. “We’ll own it and be responsible” for clearing it out and rebuilding it into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” The U.S. president further insisted that Palestinians in Gaza “have no alternative” other than to flee the coastal territory.

The remarks sparked a wave of global outrage, even from Washington’s allies in West Asia. Hundreds of protesters also gathered outside the White House after the brazen comments, warning that the Palestinian territory is “not for sale.”