H. E. Mr. Nabil Fahmy condemns Israeli statements calling for the displacement of Palestinians

His Excellency Mr Nabil Fahmy, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, strongly condemned statements calling for the displacement of the Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip, made by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz.

He affirmed that such statements defy the efforts of the international community to advance peace, bring the war in Gaza to an end, and put a stop to the humanitarian suffering endured by Gazans over recent months as a result of Israel’s continued unilateral and escalatory policies.

The Secretary-General emphasised that any discussion of the displacement of the Palestinian people is categorically unacceptable, and that such statements, plans and proposed measures aimed at undermining the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people constitute, in essence, an explicit and unequivocal violation of the principles of international law and international humanitarian law.

Mr Fahmy further noted that the statements were issued at a time when Gazans continue to endure immense suffering while Israel has failed to respond to peace efforts enjoying broad international consensus.

The Secretary-General added that this represents a further attempt by the occupying Power to complicate the situation, place the security and stability of the region at risk, and divert attention from the real causes obstructing peace efforts.

The Secretary-General reaffirmed his support for the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land, noting that any discussion concerning the Gaza Strip, geographically or demographically, is fundamentally inseparable from the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with relevant international legitimacy resolutions.

His Excellency Mr Fahmy warned of the grave repercussions of these statements for peace and stability in the region, stressing that they also represent a continuation of Israel’s escalation, which threatens to usher in a new wave of instability across the region in pursuit of narrow electoral calculations.

He called on the international community and its institutions to confront such statements as they arise and to fulfil their responsibilities in halting any efforts that could bring about changes to the land or its population and impose a new reality that undermines the full range of the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights.