Final Communiqué and Recommendations of the 15th Session of Al-Quds Committee, Ifrane, Morocco, 16-17 January 1995

FINAL COMMUNIQUÉ AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 15TH SESSION OF AL-QUDS COMMITTEE, IFRANE, MOROCCO, 16-17 JANUARY 1995

[Communiqué stating the importance of Jerusalem for the Islamic community, calling for political and financial measures to be leveled in order to reaffirm the rights of Palestinians and to preserve the heritage of the Holy City]

Responding to a generous invitation of His Majesty Hassan II, King of Morocco, Chairman of Al-Quds Committee and Chairman of the Seventh Islamic Summit, Al-Quds Committee held its fifteenth session in Ifrane, Kingdom of Morocco, on 15 and 16 Shaban 1415 H, corresponding to 16 and 17 January 1995, to consider the grave conditions through which the cause of Al-Quds al-Sharif, the foremost cause of the Islamic Ummah, is passing as a result of Israel's continued occupation of the Holy City and its persistence on implementing its design aimed at Judaizing Al-Quds and obliterating its Arab-Islamic cultural landmarks.

His Excellency Mr. Yasser Arafat, President of the State of Palestine, their Excellencies the Ministers and the delegations of the member States of the Committee, and His Excellency Dr. Hamid Algabid, Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), attended the proceedings of the meeting.

His Majesty King Hassan II, Chairman of Al-Quds Committee and Chairman of the Seventh Islamic Summit, inaugurated the proceedings of the session by a guiding address in which he stressed the importance of the Committee's responsibilities towards the question of Al-Quds al-Sharif in the light of the latest developments and highlighted the need to adapt the Committee's action to this new situation.

His Majesty the King underlined that the question of Al-Quds al-Sharif, with its dual political and religious dimension, requires a realistic and rational approach as well as patience and wisdom and not to act on mere feelings.

His Majesty the King further indicated that the Islamic Ummah harbours no hostility vis-à-vis anybody and cannot accept to be placed before a fait accompli, specifying that Islam is not a religion of war, repression or domination, but rather a religion of understanding, tolerance and, more than that, a religion of coexistence, the latter standing as a criterion of civilization.

HE Mr. Yasser Arafat, President of the State of Palestine, delivered a speech highlighting the dangers facing the city of Al-Quds al-Sharif and its religious sanctities, Israel's current attempt to alter its religious character and its Arab-Islamic identity, the continuous confiscation of lands and setting up of settlements. He requested the Islamic Ummah to take action in all directions and at all levels to face up to the current developments and sustain the steadfastness and struggle of the Palestinian people in the Holy City in particular and in Palestine at large.

HE Dr. Hamid Algabid, Secretary General of OIC delivered a statement in which he reviewed the conditions facing Al-Quds al-Sharif and the required action by the Islamic Ummah in support of this cause. His Excellency also reviewed the activities of the General Secretariat concerning the cause of Al-Quds al-Sharif and Palestine.

The members of the Committee deliberated on the current conditions facing Al-Quds al-Sharif, and considered the means likely to lead the recovering of the city and to assist and support the Palestinian citizens and institutions in the Holy City, confronting the Israeli designs aimed at Judaizing the city and changing its cultural, civilizational, religious and demographic characteristics, so as to create a new fait accompli on the ground.

In the light of these deliberations, Al-Quds Committee identified concrete and practical measures and recommended the following:

I. AT THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL LEVEL,

The Committee

1. Affirms that a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East region cannot be achieved short of the implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978) and the principle of land against peace involving Israel's total withdrawal from all occupied Palestinian and Arab territories to the border-lines of 4 June 1967 including the city of Al-Quds al-Sharif, the Syrian Golan and south Lebanon; and enables the Palestinian people to achieve their national inalienable and imprescriptible rights including their rights to return, self-determination and the establishment of their independent State on their national soil, with Al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital;

2. Affirms that the city of Al-Quds al-Sharif is part and parcel of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, and further affirms the necessity of its return to Palestinian sovereignty as the capital of the State of Palestine;

3. Calls on the Islamic Ummah to double its efforts in support of the Palestinian right in Al-Quds al-Sharif, and to assist the stands of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian National Authority, by every means so as to transfer all powers and responsibilities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Al-Quds al-Sharif, to the Palestinian National Authority;

4. Calls on the United Nations Security Council, in particular the two co-sponsors of the Peace Conference, to take necessary measures to compel Israel to desist from carrying out any settlement and Judaization of Al-Quds and any geographic or demographic changes therein, and to comply with agreements and conventions providing for the preservation of the Palestinian institutions and the Islamic and Christian holy sites at Al-Quds al-Sharif in implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions;

5. Requests States to abide by Security Council resolution 478 (1980), which calls for refraining from transferring their diplomatic missions to the city of Al-Quds al-Sharif. It reaffirms that all the legislative, administrative and settlement measures aimed at changing the legal status of the Holy City are null and contrary to international agreements, charters and conventions, in accordance with the resolutions of international legality, including United Nations Security Council resolutions 465 (1980), 476 (1980) and 478 (1980), as well as the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly which consider these measures null and void;

6. Strongly denounces the decision of the Israeli Knesset on 26 December 1994, which bans any activities of Palestinian institutions in Al-Quds al-Sharif, and requests the international community not to recognize this decision and to compel Israel to waive this decision;

7. Condemns the repeated Israeli aggressions perpetrated against the Lebanese territory as well as the casualties and destruction caused by these aggressions;

8. Requests His Majesty King Hassan II, King of the Kingdom of Morocco, Chairman of Al-Quds Committee and Chairman of the Seventh Islamic Summit, to pursue contacts which he deems necessary, at the international level, particularly with the United Nations Security Council member States, the two cosponsors of the Peace Conference, the European Union, the Vatican and other Christian organizations, so as to gain the needed support and assistance to recover the city of Al-Quds, and to explain the dangers of Israeli practices and measures jeopardizing the peace process, security and stability in the Middle East region;

9. Calls on the Secretary-General to carry out the necessary contacts with international and regional organizations as well as specialized international agencies, so as to consider ways to preserve the civilizational, cultural and religious heritage of the Holy City, and sustain the resistance of its inhabitants;

10. Decides to establish a contact group at the level of the Permanent Representatives of the Committee's member States at United Nations Headquarters in New York in order to follow up the implementation of the Committee's resolutions and those of the United Nations Security Council relating to Al-Quds al-Sharif;

II. AT THE LEVEL OF ASSISTING THE CITY OF AL-QUDS AL-SHARIF

11. Stresses the important role of Al-Quds Fund in supporting the steadfastness of the citizens and institutions of the Holy City against Israeli designs. It calls on the OIC member States to abide by financing the budgets of both Al-Quds Fund and its Waqf in order to promote urban development of Al-Quds, and to construct housing units, restore its old monuments with the aim of preserving the civilizational and Islamic heritage;

12. Decides to grant permission to the Board of Directors of Al-Quds Fund to exercise the powers stipulated in the statute and regulations of Al-Quds Fund, referred to in articles 2, 3 and 8;

13. Welcomes the proposal of His Majesty Hassan II, King of Morocco, Chairman of Al-Quds Committee and Chairman of the Seventh Islamic Summit to create Bayt Al-Mal of Al-Quds al-Sharif for the safeguard of the city of Al-Quds al-Sharif, protection of the Palestinian right to the city, assistance to the steadfastness of its inhabitants and preservation of its civilizational, religious, cultural and urbanistic heritage;

This Bayt Al-Mal will take the form of an agency which aims to mobilize material and financial resources from OIC member States, institutions, bodies, private sector, associations, Islamic and Arab communities as well as individuals.

The agency will operate under the aegis of Al-Quds Committee and its management will be ensured according to the following general principles:

- The agency will carry out its activities in compliance with the rules governing the private sector;

- It will perform in utter transparency and accountability;

- It will be subject to private accountancy and financial auditing twice a year by the Al-Quds Committee.

The Presidency of the Al-Quds Committee will undertake to prepare a draft statute for the Agency, which will soon be conveyed to the member States through the OIC General Secretariat to allow them to examine the draft statute and take necessary measures prior to the creation of the Agency and its establishment by the Islamic Conference.

The Committee expresses its profound gratitude and sincere thanks to His Majesty, to the Government and the people of the Kingdom of Morocco for the generous hospitality and warm welcome extended to the delegations participating in this session.

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APPENDIX: States members of Al-Quds Committee

1. Kingdom of Morocco

2. State of Palestine

3. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

4. Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

5. Republic of Iraq

6. Syrian Arab Republic

7. Republic of Lebanon

8. Islamic Republic of Mauritania

9. Arab Republic of Egypt

10. People's Republic of Bangladesh

11. Islamic Republic of Pakistan

12. Islamic Republic of Iran

13. Republic of Indonesia

14. Republic of Senegal

15. Republic of the Niger

16. Republic of Guinea