Türkiye, 7 nations condemn Israeli ministers' Gaza displacement rhetoric

The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday issued a joint statement condemning recent remarks by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Defense Minister Israel Katz advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, denouncing such rhetoric as a flagrant violation of international law and a direct threat to the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

Violations of international law

In a statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the eight ministers said: "Such inflammatory statements and proposals flagrantly violate principles of international law, including international humanitarian law, and pose a direct threat to the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people." They reaffirmed their unequivocal rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians within or outside the Occupied Palestinian Territory, regardless of justification, warning that transforming such calls into concrete policy would carry serious consequences for regional security.

Threat to peace initiatives

The ministers cautioned that implementing forced displacement would directly challenge international peace efforts, including US President Donald Trump's Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, which explicitly rejects such measures. They stressed that Gaza remains an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and called for preserving Palestinian territorial unity across Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, reiterating their commitment to a two-state solution based on the June 4, 1967 borders.

Call for international action

The joint statement urged the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to confront attempts to alter the demographic or geographic reality of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and ensure full compliance with international legal obligations. The ministers reaffirmed their support for Palestinians remaining on their land and rejected efforts to "erase the Palestinian cause or undermine the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," insisting that an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital represents the sole path to just and lasting peace.