Date: 18/12/2025
Dr. Abu Holi briefed him on the situation of Palestinian refugees in the camps and UNRWA's financial crisis.
- He called for the reactivation of the Development Endowment Fund to support Palestinian refugees and UNRWA.
- He emphasized the importance of confronting any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.
====================================================================== Ahmed Abu Holi, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and head of the Refugee Affairs Department, discussed with His Excellency Hussein Ibrahim Taha, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the latest political developments in the Palestinian arena in light of the challenges it faces, in addition to the situation of Palestinian refugees in UNRWA's five areas of operation, and the political and financial challenges facing UNRWA's work.
He briefed him on the situation of Palestinian refugees in the camps and UNRWA's financial crisis. During his meeting today with the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hussein Taha, at his office in the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah, Abu Holi emphasized the importance of supporting efforts to solidify the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and obligating Israel, the occupying power, to fully implement US President Donald Trump's peace plan, as adopted in the relevant Security Council Resolution 2803. He stressed that this plan serves as a framework for achieving a just and comprehensive peace, and that the ceasefire and cessation of Israeli aggression should extend to the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, which are facing military aggression, escalating settlement activity, and the Judaization of Jerusalem.
The meeting was attended by members of the Palestinian delegation, headed by Abu Holi, including the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates for Political Affairs, Omar Awadallah; the Assistant Secretary-General for Palestine and Jerusalem Affairs at the OIC, Dr. Samir Bakr; the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the OIC, Ambassador Hadi Shibli; Adel Salameh; and the Consul General of the State of Palestine to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ihab Al-Fishawi.
Abu Holi conveyed the greetings of President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, and his gratitude to the Secretary-General and member states for their supportive stances on the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. He emphasized that the Palestinian cause remains the central and foremost issue for the Arab and Islamic world, and continues to be a top priority.
He stressed the importance of political and diplomatic action by member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to pressure the Israeli occupation government to ensure the urgent and unhindered entry of aid into the Gaza Strip. He also emphasized the need to counter any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land or alter the geographic and demographic character of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and occupied East Jerusalem.
The Secretary-General of the Organization called for continued support for the State of Palestine's position on the importance of proceeding with the formation of a Palestinian technocratic committee to administer the Gaza Strip. This committee, he stressed, must be linked to the legitimate Palestinian government and support its efforts to extend its sovereignty and manage the affairs of the Strip. He emphasized that the technocratic committee should not be a replacement for the government or a cover for any separatist reality. He further affirmed that any international oversight or presence in the Gaza Strip must have the primary mission of protecting security, not imposing it, and must be with the consent of the State of Palestine, based on the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and the resolutions of the recent Arab and Islamic summits.
The Secretary-General urged member states to financially support UNRWA by increasing their funding and signing multi-year financing agreements to address the initial funding shortfall of $200 million for December and the first quarter of 2026. He stressed the need to establish a sustainable financial safety net to address UNRWA's chronic financial crisis, which affects both its regular and emergency budgets, enabling it to fulfill its duties and provide services to refugees as mandated by Resolution 302.
He also called for the reactivation of the Development Endowment Fund for Palestine Refugees and UNRWA, which was approved by the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States in March 2019. He requested that the activation of the Development Endowment Fund be included on the agenda of the 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC, scheduled to be held in Baghdad in April 2026, and on the agenda of the upcoming 16th Islamic Summit Conference, scheduled to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2026.
The Secretary-General also briefed the Council on the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Gaza, and the Israeli aggression against the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem through settlement escalation, Judaization operations, confiscation, annexation, settler attacks, and the military aggression against the camps in the northern West Bank, confirming that the current situation and the continuation of Israeli aggression and its crimes require intensive international pressure to confront the settlement and Judaization policies that directly undermine any prospects for a two-state solution. He stressed the importance of holding those responsible for violations accountable and working to implement international resolutions related to the Palestinian cause.
He expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the Secretary-General and member states in supporting the Palestinian cause politically on the international stage, their steadfast positions in defending the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people—their right of return, self-determination, and the establishment of their fully sovereign and independent state with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital—and their political and diplomatic efforts to halt Israeli aggression in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, solidify the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and support early recovery and reconstruction plans.
He commended the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's financial support for the State of Palestine and its resolutions and statements, which reflect a unified position of Islamic countries in support of the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights, rejecting settlement activity, annexation, and any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land. He also praised the OIC's support for UNRWA and the overwhelming renewal of its mandate until June 30, 2029.
