Physical Address
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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will chair the 21st Extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Ministers’ Council in Jeddah on Monday, as part of Türkiye’s ongoing chairmanship of the intergovernmental body.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Fidan will lead discussions focused on the escalating crisis in Gaza and Israel’s policies in the region.
The extraordinary meeting follows Israel’s announcement of plans to expand its occupation of Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brushed aside mediation efforts for a cease-fire and instead instructed his military to accelerate implementation of a plan to occupy Gaza City.
That plan, approved on Aug. 8, calls for displacing nearly a million residents to the south, surrounding Gaza City, and carrying out ground incursions into residential districts.
Speaking ahead of the meeting on Friday, Fidan condemned Israel’s “complete occupation of Gaza” and the displacement of the Palestinian people, calling such actions “completely unacceptable.”
He stressed the urgency of an immediate cease-fire to protect civilians and ensure uninterrupted humanitarian aid.
“Israel continues to sabotage ongoing cease-fire efforts,” Fidan said. He called on the international community to increase pressure on Israel to halt its attacks and prevent further “de-Palestinization” in Gaza.
Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s commitment to a two-state solution as the only viable path to a just and lasting peace, and highlighted Turkish support for the OIC-Arab League plan for Gaza’s reconstruction.
He also underlined the importance of the OIC and the OIC-Arab League Gaza Contact Group in mobilizing international support and noted the recent rise in the number of countries recognizing the State of Palestine as “valuable and encouraging.”
In addition, Fidan stressed that preventing the export and transit of weapons to Israel and safeguarding the status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque remain critical priorities.
On Aug. 11, Israeli forces launched a major assault on the Zeitoun neighborhood in southeastern Gaza City, using booby-trapped robots to demolish homes, backed by artillery fire and forced displacement, according to witnesses.
Israel has killed nearly 62,200 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
OIC Chair
Türkiye assumed the OIC Chairpersonship for one year during the 51st meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, hosted in Istanbul on June 21-22, 2025.
Türkiye previously hosted OIC meetings in 1976, 1991 and 2004. At the 51st meeting, two draft resolutions on Palestine were adopted, emphasizing the need for a unified OIC position on the issue. The Istanbul Declaration was also adopted during the session.
The OIC, established in Rabat on Sept. 25, 1969, in response to the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is the second-largest intergovernmental political organization after the United Nations.
It represents 57 member states and five observers, including the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Central African Republic, Russia and Thailand.
Türkiye’s Permanent Mission to the OIC has operated in Jeddah since July 24, 2015.
