OIC Press Release

The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference has been following up with deep concern the policies and practices of the Israeli government aiming at escalating its aggressions against the Palestinian people during the period leading up to the Israeli elections.

The Secretary General has condemned the daily killings perpetrated by the Israeli authorities in the occupied Palestinian territories, despite the period of relative calm restored as a result of the cooperation of several Palestinian and international players with the objective of creating a climate conducive to the resumption of the peace process. He stated that the killing of nine Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli forces on Thursday 26-12-2002 comes as yet more evidence of Israel's determination to wipe out all attempts at a peaceful settlement, particularly the attempts of the Quartet Committee, which are facing persistent Israeli obstruction. The Secretary General denounced the Israeli government's deliberate decision to make of the killing of Palestinians an issue for the upcoming electoral campaign.

The Secretary General appealed to the international community and the Quartet Committee members to immediately intervene to end to those aggressive practices and work to provide international protection for the Palestinian people in order to pave the way for the resumption of the peace process, put an end to the conflict in the Middle East, and ensure that the Palestinian people regain their inalienable national rights, primarily their right to return, self-determination, and the establishment of their independent Palestinian State, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.