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Maldives Reiterates Solidarity with Palestine at OIC Meeting

17 July 2019

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs His Excellency Ahmed Khaleel has reiterated the Maldives support for an independent and sovereign Palestine, and condemned recent Israeli violations against the Palestinian people.

The State Minister made his remarks at the Open-Ended Extraordinary Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which was held today in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In his statement, the State Minister said that the Maldives will continue to call for an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He further stated that the injustice, oppression and humiliation of the Palestinian people cast a dark shadow over the entire Islamic Ummah. The Maldives condemned ongoing Israeli violations including the confiscation of dozens of Palestinian land properties in Al-Quds Al-Sharif and Israel’s threats to demolish hundreds of houses as part of the policy of ‘Judaization’ of the Holy City, displacing its inhabitants and changing its Arab identity.

The Final Communiqué of the meeting was adopted by consensus at the end of the session. The meeting of the Executive Committee was held upon the request of the State of Palestine. The Maldives’ representation at senior levels denotes the close attention it gives to the issue of Palestine and its unwavering support for the Palestinian cause.

The State Minister was accompanied to the meeting by H.E. Mohamed Khaleel, Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Maldives to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and officials from both the Maldives Embassy in Riyadh and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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