Maldives calls for urgent action against genocide in Gaza

Maldives has called upon the international community to take urgent action to prevent genocide in Gaza.  

The call was made in Maldives’ national statement at the Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people which was delivered by Islamic Minister Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed.

During the meeting, Maldives strongly condemned the violence in Gaza and the threats by the Israeli Government to attack Rafah. The nation reiterated its demand for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and called on the international community to take decisive actions to prevent the acts of genocide in Gaza, which now Maldives stated amounted to apartheid. Maldives also urged for a stronger push to ensure an adequate volume of aid enters Gaza. 

In its oral submission at the meeting delivered in support of Palestine on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – Maldives noted its intent to file a declaration of intervention in the case filed by South Africa.

The Maldives reaffirmed its support for the Palestinian cause while stressing the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital as the only solution for lasting peace.

OIC, comprising of 57 member states, has been a persistent advocate for the rights of the Palestinian people and a two-state solution to the decades-long crisis. The Maldives has been an active member of the OIC since becoming a member in 1976.