African Union, OIC and Arab League urge end to Israeli occupation
The three bodies also called for a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and for the release of withheld Palestinian tax revenues.
The African Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League called on Thursday for an end to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
In a joint statement, the three bodies urged an immediate and unconditional Israeli withdrawal and the creation of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The statement was issued after a consultative meeting held on Wednesday at the African Union Commission headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which brought together senior delegations from the three organizations.
The bodies called for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement to lead to a permanent halt to hostilities, an end to the Israeli blockade and the reopening of all crossings for humanitarian aid.
They also called for reconstruction to begin in Gaza while ensuring the territory remains contiguous and whole.
The statement rejected any Israeli attempts or plans to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, describing such actions as war crimes.
The organizations urged countries that have moved, or announced plans to move, their diplomatic missions to occupied Jerusalem to reverse those decisions.
The statement reaffirmed that all Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal and called for their dismantlement.
It warned of escalating violence by extremist settlers, which it said was carried out under the protection and backing of Israeli occupation forces.
The bodies called for the disarmament of settlers in line with UN Security Council Resolution 904 of 1994 and welcomed UN Human Rights Council measures on businesses involved in settlement activity.
They affirmed that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and called on Israel to release Palestinian tax revenues it has withheld.
The statement also welcomed the decision by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to add the archaeological site of Sebastia to the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The three organizations reaffirmed their full support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, known as UNRWA, and condemned Israeli measures targeting its mandate.