Arab and Muslim countries say Palestinian state is a condition for peace with Israel

Saudi Arabia and seven other Arab and Muslim countries have issued a joint warning against turning calls for Palestinian emigration from Gaza into government policy. The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia, alongside Saudi Arabia.

The ministers strongly condemned statements in Israel advocating the encouragement of Palestinian emigration from the Gaza Strip. They warned against translating those ideas into official policy or practical measures on the ground.

The statement said displacing Palestinians, either by force or by creating conditions that compel them to leave, would constitute a serious violation of international law and damage the prospects of a political settlement. The ministers said they "absolutely" reject any attempt to alter the demographic reality in the Palestinian territories.

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absolutely

They also said Palestinian national rights, particularly the right to self-determination, cannot be revoked. The countries reaffirmed their support for an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, lines, with east Jerusalem as its capital, as part of a two-state solution and in line with UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The statement follows an August condemnation by the same eight countries of Israel’s rejection of a road map for continuing the implementation of a US plan to end the war in Gaza. They also criticized Israel’s opposition to establishing a Palestinian state, saying it undermined efforts toward what they called a "just and lasting peace" and threatened implementation of a political framework approved by the UN Security Council. The latest statement called on the international community to prevent measures that could lead to displacement, protect Palestinian rights and advance a political solution.

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just and lasting peace