RIYADH — The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt, and Türkiye have issued a joint condemnation of remarks made by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The Israeli official had proposed plans to forcibly expel Palestinians from their territory and establish settlements within the Gaza Strip.
In a joint statement released on Sunday, the eight nations denounced the statements as highly provocative. They declared the remarks a clear breach of international humanitarian law and a direct assault on the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people. The ministers firmly rejected any strategies or attempts to relocate Palestinians from or within the occupied territories, regardless of the justification or method.
Warning of severe repercussions, the ministers stated that turning displacement proposals into actual policies would directly undermine international peace initiatives. This includes the comprehensive plan put forward by US President Donald Trump to resolve the Gaza conflict, which explicitly opposes forced displacement. Additionally, the ministers warned that such actions risk driving further regional instability and violence.
The coalition reemphasized that the Gaza Strip remains an inseparable part of the occupied Palestinian territory. They demanded an immediate halt to all unauthorized settlement activities across Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. According to the foreign ministers, securing a lasting peace requires implementing a two-state solution to establish an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem serving as its capital.
Concluding their statement, the ministers urged the international community and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to uphold their responsibilities by rejecting these extremist proposals. They called for swift international action to block any attempts to alter the demographic or geographic makeup of the region, while reaffirming their solidarity with the Palestinian people in maintaining their land rights.