Islamic summit reaffirms centrality of Palestinian cause, renews support to Palestinians

MECCA, Saudi Arabia - 1 June 2019: The “Mecca Declaration” final communique of the 14th Islamic Summit has largely focused on the question of Palestine and reiterated the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s call for the Palestinians’ right to statehood.

“The Summit reaffirmed the centrality of the question of Palestine and the issue of Jerusalem to the Islamic Ummah and reiterated its principled and continuous support at all levels for the Palestinian people to attain their inalienable national rights, including their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, and stressed the need to protect the right of return for refugees under resolution 194 and to face any denial of these rights with full force,” a point on the final communique read as quoted by Al Arabiya news channel.

The Summit's communique also condemned and rejected any positions issued by international bodies or countries which support the "prolongation of the occupation and expansionist settlement project at the expense of the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people, including the recognition by the US administration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."

The summit this year was titled “Mecca Summit: Together for the Future,” and aimed at developing a unified stance on events in the Islamic world. Leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Turkey, Tunisia, Senegal, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Pakistan spoke during the summit.

World leaders mainly focused on the issue of Palestine, countering extremism and terrorism, and the issue of growing Islamophobia around the world.

The Final communique also rejected and condemned in the “strongest terms of any illegal and irresponsible decision recognizing Jerusalem as the alleged capital of Israel,” adding that any countries’ decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would be considered “null and void and constitutes an attack on the historical, legal and national rights of the Palestinian people and the Islamic world.”

The Islamic Summit also called for the complete withdrawal of Israel from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and return “to the borders of 4 June 1967, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), the Land for Peace legislation, the Madrid Peace Conference and the Arab Peace Initiative adopted by the Arab Summit in Beirut in 2002.”

The Summit also highlighted the ongoing situation in Sudan, expressing its support for the choices and decisions of the Sudanese people regarding their own future.

“The Summit called upon the Sudanese parties to continue constructive dialogue in order to maintain peace and social cohesion in the country in order to realize the aspirations of the Sudanese people for the peaceful transfer of power and achieve stability and sustainable development,” a point regarding Sudan on the final communique read.

The issue of Islamophobia was also noted with concern on the final communique.

“In this regard, the Summit encouraged the United Nations and other international and regional organizations to adopt March 15 as the International Day against Islamophobia,” the communique read.