Tasnim – Iran’s deputy foreign minister for international and legal affairs participated in an extraordinary ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Executive Committee on Israeli threats to annex parts of the occupied Palestinian territories.

Following a recent announcement from the Zionist and occupying regime of Israel about its plan to annex parts of the occupied territories, particularly the West Bank, to the territories under occupation within the next month and the US government’s support for such a hostile scheme, the Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held a virtual extraordinary meeting at the level of Member States’ Foreign Ministers on Wednesday to address the issue.

The meeting, held at the request of the Palestinian National Authority and at the invitation of OIC Secretary-General Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, was attended by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and other political officials from the OIC Member States. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for International and Legal Affairs Mohsen Baharvand was representing the Islamic Republic of Iran in the meeting.

In his address to the virtual meeting, Baharvand reaffirmed Iran’s unwavering stance on defending the cause of Palestine and expounded on Iran’s views on the Zionist regime’s current threats, its main sponsor, namely the US regime, and on the effective solution to such a persistent crisis in the Islamic world.

The Iranian diplomat strongly condemned the fake Zionist regime’s measure to declare Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital, its announcement of plans to annex parts of the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories and the US regime’s support for those measures.

He also highlighted the definite ineffectiveness of the policy of negotiations with and an appeasement towards Zionists, saying it is absolutely necessary for Muslims to think seriously about devising new approaches to Palestine in order to guarantee the inalienable rights of Palestinians to restore their legitimate rights.

“Now that it has been definitely proven that the US government has no goodwill and the Zionist regime is viciously and hypocritically playing with Palestine and with the principle of formation of the Palestinian government, the Islamic world is currently in dire need of ratification and implementation of a true pragmatic policy far beyond the current futile policy.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister underscored the international recognition of the right to self-determination, denounced the fierce obstructionism and opposition from the US and its cohorts to the issue of restoration of the inalienable right of Palestinians, and said that is why the people of Palestine have now no option but to resort to resistance in order to fulfill the undeniable right to self-determination.

Iran and the Leader of the Islamic Revolution have repeatedly proposed the idea of approving a plan to hold a countrywide referendum with the participation of all Palestinians inside and outside Palestine with every religious and political background, he added. “Now it’s time for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states to pass a resolution to call on the United Nations – as the chief international organization responsible for protecting world peace and security – to resolve the most long-running predicament in the contemporary world by holding a referendum in Palestine.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, a draft resolution was approved with 15 executive articles revolving around the categorical condemnation of the Zionist regime of Israel for its malignant scheme to annex parts of the occupied Palestinian territories. The resolution also condemned the fake regime of Israel for restricting and obstructing the Palestinian people’s access to the necessary facilities and equipment for the treatment of and protection against the disease caused by the coronavirus.