OIC extraordinary meeting on Gaza to be held at Iran’s proposal: Source

TEHRAN (Iran News) An extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers to address a U.S.-Israeli plot to forcibly displace the people of Gaza will be held in the coming weeks at Iran’s proposal, according to a source in the Foreign Ministry.

The informed source told IRNA on Wednesday that Tehran’s proposal, officially conveyed in a letter from Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to the OIC secretary general, has been widely welcomed by Islamic nations, with the session likely to be held by early March.

If finalized, the meeting will bring together OIC foreign ministers to discuss measures against a scheme introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip forcefully.

In recent days, Araghchi has engaged in extensive diplomatic efforts, holding consultations with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Gambia – the current chair of the OIC. He has also discussed the matter with the OIC Secretary-General.

The Iranian foreign minister on Saturday condemned the “dangerous” joint U.S.-Israeli conspiracy and called for an extraordinary OIC meeting to address the issue.

“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 said in a phone call with OIC Secretary-General Hussein Ibrahim Taha.

Last Tuesday, 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.” Despite the backlash, Trump has repeated his “proposal” several times since then.