Ashraf AboArafe
The Madrid Joint Statement of the Two-State-Solution including the full restoration of Palestinian Authority control over the Rafah Crossing and the rest of the borders, and a full withdrawal of the occupying Israeli forces from Gaza, including the Philadelphi Corridor as follows:
We, representatives of the Joint Ministerial Contact Group of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, from the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Palestine, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Turkey, the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; and the Foreign Ministers and Representatives of Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain; have gathered today in Madrid, in the midst of the worst crisis in the Middle East in decades, to reaffirm our shared commitment to the implementation of the two-state solution as the only way to achieve lasting peace and security.
During the years of the peace process, the parties and the international community have defined references and parameters for the implementation of the two-state solution, based on relevant Security Council resolutions, the rules and principles of international law, and the Arab Peace Initiative. Instead, illegal unilateral actions, settlements, forced displacement, and extremism have frustrated the hopes of both peoples for peace. Since October 7, an unprecedented tragedy of human suffering and flagrant violations of international law has unfolded before our eyes, undermining international peace and security.
We condemn all forms of violence and terrorism. We call for the credible and irreversible implementation of the two-state solution in accordance with international law and agreed parameters, including the Arab Peace Initiative, to achieve a just and lasting peace that meets the rights of the Palestinian people, ensures the security of Israel, and achieves normal relations in a region of stability, security, peace, and cooperation.
Thirty-three years after the peace conference held in this city, the parties and the international community have not been able to achieve our shared goal, which remains valid, namely, ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, that began in 1967, and establishing a reality in which two independent and sovereign States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace and security, integrated into the region, on the basis of mutual recognition and effective cooperation to achieve stability and shared prosperity.
We welcome the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice of 19 July 2024. We reiterate the need to enable the Palestinian government to perform all its duties throughout the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
We affirm our full support for the ongoing mediation efforts of Egypt, Qatar and the United States, and reject all measures aimed at obstructing this mediation process. We reiterate our call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees. We also call for the full restoration of the Palestinian Authority’s control over the Rafah crossing and the rest of the borders, and for a full withdrawal of the occupying Israeli forces from Gaza, including from the Philadelphi Corridor.
There is an urgent need for the immediate, unconditional, unhindered and substantial delivery of humanitarian assistance through the opening of all Israeli crossings, and support for the work of UNRWA and other UN agencies. We urge all parties to implement their obligations under international humanitarian law and implement the orders of the International Court of Justice.
We warn of the dangerous escalation in the West Bank and urge an immediate cessation of military attacks against Palestinians, as well as all illegal actions that undermine the prospects for peace, including settlement activities, land confiscation, and displacement of Palestinians. We stress the need to preserve the legal and historical status of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and recognize the central role of the Hashemite Custodianship in this regard. We call for an end to all actions that lead to regional escalation.
The international community must take active steps to implement the two-state solution, including universal recognition of the State of Palestine, and its admission as a full member of the United Nations. We emphasize that the issue of recognition is a key element of this new peace agenda, leading to mutual recognition between Israel and Palestine.
Today, we reaffirm our shared commitment to peace efforts to advance the implementation of the two-state solution. We recall that our countries have agreed on the need to convene an international peace conference as soon as possible.
With these objectives in mind, we call on the parties and all members of the United Nations to join the expanded meeting on “The situation in Gaza and the implementation of the two-State solution as a path to achieving a just and comprehensive peace”, on the margins of the next session of the United Nations General Assembly on 26 September 2024.
