OIC chief denounces Israeli genocidal acts against Palestinians

Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hussein Brahim Taha strongly condemned the war crimes being committed by the Israeli occupation forces on a daily basis in Gaza Strip, the West Bank and the holy city of Jerusalem, including the most recent assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran. "Israel's persistence in these crimes constitutes a flagrant violation of the principles of the international laws and the UN Charter and an infringement on Iran's sovereignty," he said in his inaugural speech the extraordinary minister-level meeting of the OIC Executive Committee. The meeting, being held at the OIC Secretariat on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara, focuses on the ongoing war crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people. The Secretary-General called upon the UN Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities and force Israel, the occupying power, into respecting the provisions of the international law a nd stopping the genocidal acts that jeopardize peace and security in the Middle East region and beyond. He stressed the need to mobilize joint efforts to compel Israel to abide by the international legitimacy resolutions, and to take the necessary measures to implement the recent advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice regarding the illegality of the Israeli occupation and holding it accountable for all its crimes, in accordance with the international criminal law. The Secretary-General also condemned all illegal Israeli measures, including vetoing resolutions on the establishment of a Palestinian state, and designation of UNRWA as a terrorist organization. He called for providing more political and financial support to UNRWA's budget, to enable it to exercise its vital role in providing basic services to Palestinian refugees and contributing to alleviating the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. Hussein Brahim Taha also called on the key players in the international community to sponsor a political process to end the Israeli occupation and achieve peace based on the vision of the two-state solution in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions, and to expand recognition of the State of Palestine and support its membership in the United Nations. He commended "the tremendous efforts" of the Ministerial Committee, chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, to resolve the Palestinian issue. Source: Kuwait News Agency