Date: 18/12/2025
In his opening remarks, Abu Holi commends the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s steadfast support for the Palestinian people and UNRWA
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The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in cooperation with the Permanent Delegation of the State of Palestine to the OIC, hosted an international seminar entitled “The Palestinian Cause: Challenges and Prospects,” which was held at the Organization’s headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The seminar was convened in the context of the consultative meeting that brought together the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, representatives of the League of Arab States, and the African Union, within the framework of the joint coordination mechanism to support the Palestinian cause. This mechanism was adopted pursuant to the decision of the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on 11 November 2024.
The seminar was attended by a number of permanent representatives to the Organization, senior officials and staff members of the General Secretariat, as well as a group of academics and researchers, and representatives of civil society institutions.
Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Head of the Department of Refugee Affairs, Ahmad Abu Holi, delivered a speech in which he welcomed the participants and expressed appreciation for the OIC’s steadfast support for the Palestinian people and for UNRWA, as well as its condemnation of Israel’s illegal occupation policies, including settlement expansion, forced displacement, and the Judaization of Jerusalem.
Abu Holi reviewed the severe challenges facing the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, such as killing, demolition, displacement, and settler violations, and highlighted their impact on the work of UNRWA, its financial deficit, and the need to ensure the payment of salaries to its employees.
He also pointed to the growing international support for recognizing the State of Palestine and achieving the two-state solution, while expressing appreciation for the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in strengthening this support. He emphasized the importance of efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Gaza, ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid, and advancing reconstruction, including initiatives related to the International Conference on Early Recovery.
In the conclusion of his remarks, Abu Holi called on the international community to bring an end to the Israeli occupation in its entirety, to realize the independence of the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, to reach a just solution to the refugee issue in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194, to halt illegal unilateral measures, to ensure international accountability, and to enable the State of Palestine to obtain full membership in the United Nations.
The seminar also featured statements by His Excellency the Secretary-General of the Organization, Mr. Hussein Ibrahim Taha, delivered on his behalf by the Assistant Secretary-General for Palestine and Al-Quds Affairs, Ambassador Samir Bakr Diab; the Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and Head of the Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories Sector, Dr. Fayez Mustafa; the Permanent Representative of the African Union to the League of Arab States, Ambassador Ali Darwish; and the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the OIC, Hani Al-Kashif.
The seminar sessions included working papers presented by the Palestinian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates for Political Affairs, Ambassador Omar Awadallah; the Dean of the Faculty of Law at Al-Quds University, Dr. Issa Manasra; and the legal expert on Jerusalem affairs, Mohammad Hadaya. These papers addressed the humanitarian conditions of Palestinian refugees, Israeli violations, legal and diplomatic efforts, and the protection of Palestinian rights and holy sites.
Subsequently, the delegation of the State of Palestine, which included Abu Holi, Omar Awadallah, the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the OIC, Ambassador Hadi Shibli, and the Consul General of the State of Palestine in Jeddah, His Excellency Ihab Qishawi, met with the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Hussein Ibrahim Taha.
