Arab, Muslim countries affirm establishing Palestinian state is condition for peace with Israel

The statement, which was also signed by Turkey, the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, and Indonesia, warned about turning Palestinian emigration into real policy.

Saudi Arabia and seven other Arab and Muslim countries on Sunday issued a joint statement rejecting any attempt to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and reaffirming their support for the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state.

The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia.

The countries strongly condemned statements made in Israel calling for the encouragement of Palestinian emigration from the Gaza Strip and warned against turning such ideas into government policy or practical measures on the ground.

Displacing Palestinians is violation of international law

According to the statement, displacing Palestinians from their land, whether by force or by creating conditions that would compel them to leave, constitutes a serious violation of international law and damages prospects for reaching a political settlement.

The foreign ministers stressed that they "absolutely" reject any attempt to alter the demographic reality in the Palestinian territories and said that the Palestinians' national rights, foremost among them the right to self-determination, cannot be revoked.

The countries reiterated their support for the establishment of 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 accordance with UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. A similar position appeared in previous statements issued by the same group of countries in recent months.

Tension with Israel over Gaza on the rise

The statement follows a condemnation issued by the eight countries in August of Israel's rejection of a road map for the continued implementation of the US plan to end the war in Gaza, as well as its opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

At the time, the foreign ministers said Israel's position undermined efforts to achieve a "just and lasting peace" and endangered implementation of the political framework approved by the UN Security Council.

In the latest statement, the countries called on the international community to act to prevent measures that could lead to displacement, safeguard Palestinian rights and work toward advancing a political solution.

From the perspective of Riyadh and its allies, the establishment of a Palestinian state is presented not merely as a Palestinian demand, but as a central condition for achieving long-term stability and peace in the region.