The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has announced an urgent ministerial gathering scheduled for Thursday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, responding to escalating tensions in the Palestinian territories. This emergency session comes amid heightened Israeli administrative control measures across the West Bank and controversial statements from senior American diplomatic officials.
According to the OIC’s Sunday declaration, foreign ministers will address what the organization characterizes as illegal Israeli occupation policies designed to advance settlement expansion and territorial annexation. The meeting specifically targets recent Israeli administrative procedures classifying West Bank territories as ‘state property’—a move perceived as facilitating systematic land appropriation.
Simultaneously, the OIC joined numerous Arab and Muslim-majority nations in formally condemning remarks by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who during a recent interview endorsed Israeli territorial claims over extensive Middle Eastern regions, including occupied Palestinian territories.
Professor Ayman Yousef of Arab American University in Jenin described the current situation as ‘exceptionally complex,’ noting ‘unprecedented settlement expansion, land confiscation, and settler violence against Palestinians’ accompanied by institutionalized discrimination. Yousef characterized the Israeli government as ‘the most radical supporter of settler activities’ and labeled Huckabee’s comments as ‘fundamentalist rhetoric.’
Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), demanded the ambassador’s immediate dismissal, while former UN human rights official Saul Takahashi interpreted Huckabee’s statements as reflective of broader US disregard for Palestinian rights, Middle Eastern sovereignty, and international legal standards.
Despite planned diplomatic responses, experts expressed skepticism about tangible outcomes. Yousef questioned whether participating nations would demonstrate unified opposition, particularly those engaged in the US-led ‘Board of Peace’ initiative, noting the irony that ‘they have to draw in even their funds.’ Takahashi similarly warned that countries hoping to influence US policy toward Palestinian interests were undertaking ‘a very risky gamble.’