OIC calls emergency meeting Thursday over Israeli West Bank moves
2026-02-23 - 10:52
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an emergency meeting of its foreign ministers on Thursday in Jeddah to address Israel's recent decisions expanding illegal settlements and pursuing annexation in the occupied West Bank. The meeting comes at Palestine's request "to coordinate positions and discuss ways of action to confront these invalid decisions" that aim at "changing the legal, political and demographic status of Palestinian territory and undermining the two-state solution," the organization's General Secretariat announced Monday. Israeli Government Actions On February 15, the Israeli government approved a proposal to register large areas in the West Bank as "state property" for the first time since occupying the territory in 1967. According to Israeli media, the measure includes opening previously frozen land registration procedures, canceling old Jordanian legislation that banned land sales to Jews, and disclosing land records that had remained confidential for decades. The decision represents a significant policy shift with potentially far-reaching consequences for Palestinian communities. Palestinian Warnings Palestinian officials warn that these actions pave the way for formal annexation of the occupied West Bank, which they say would end prospects for a viable Palestinian state as envisioned in United Nations resolutions. The OIC meeting reflects growing international alarm over Israel's systematic moves to consolidate control over territory that Palestinians view as the core of their future state. Diplomatic Response The emergency session will bring together foreign ministers from the 57-member organization to formulate a collective Islamic response. The OIC has historically served as a platform for coordinating diplomatic pressure and legal challenges to Israeli policies in occupied Palestinian territories. Thursday's meeting aims to translate condemnation into concrete action, potentially including coordinated diplomatic démarches, legal initiatives, and economic measures to oppose the latest Israeli moves.