Organisation of Islamic Cooperation calls emergency meet on West Bank

WEB DESK: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has announced an emergency meeting of its Open-ended Executive Committee at foreign ministers’ level, to be held on February 26, at the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah.

According to Qatar Tribune, the session has been convened in response to recent decisions by Israeli authorities which the OIC has described as illegal efforts to expand settlements, advance annexation and impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank.

Emergency session aims to confront Israel’s settlement and annexation drive

In a statement issued on Sunday, the organisation said the meeting would seek to coordinate a unified position among member states and examine practical steps to counter these measures. It pointed in particular to Israel’s latest move to initiate procedures for the registration and settlement of land in the occupied West Bank under the classification of “state property”.

According to the OIC, the step forms part of a broader pattern aimed at altering the legal, political and demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territory, while further eroding prospects for a viable two-state solution.

The developments follow a series of Israeli actions in recent weeks, including cabinet approvals facilitating greater control over land in the West Bank moves that international observers and Palestinian officials have condemned as incremental steps towards de facto annexation.

Reiterating its firm opposition to such policies, the OIC said they constitute violations of international law and present serious obstacles to peace efforts. The emergency session is expected to draw foreign ministers from across the 57-member body, with discussions centred on diplomatic, legal and collective responses to safeguard Palestinian rights and territorial integrity.