In his address, the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mazen Ghoneim, delivered Palestine’s statement on behalf of the Head of the Palestinian Water Authority, Ziad Mimi. He expressed sincere appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting this important event and to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture for its dedicated efforts in ensuring the success of the session. He also commended the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for strengthening joint Islamic action and for its continued commitment to water issues and sustainable development across member states.
Ambassador Ghoneim stressed that the water issue in Palestine is fundamentally political, noting that the Israeli occupation continues to deprive the Palestinian people of their legitimate water rights by controlling more than 85% of Palestinian groundwater resources and obstructing the development of water infrastructure. He further highlighted the destruction of over 94% of water and wastewater facilities in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ongoing aggression, which has reduced per capita water availability to approximately 15 liters per day and has severely worsened humanitarian and public health conditions.
He explained that the Palestinian government has prepared a comprehensive three-phase national plan encompassing emergency response, recovery, and reconstruction, alongside resilience-building. The program constitutes an integrated initiative to rebuild the water and sanitation sector at an estimated cost of USD 2.9 billion, emphasizing that saving this vital sector requires concerted Arab and Islamic cooperation together with urgent international support.
The conference concluded with strong recommendations in support of Palestine. Ministers affirmed the Palestinian people’s right to sovereignty over their natural resources, including land and water, condemned Israeli practices involving the appropriation of Palestinian water resources, and called on the international community to assume its responsibilities toward Israel, the occupying power, to ensure compliance with international law and international humanitarian law, and to halt its illegal policies and violations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The OIC Water Council was also mandated to prepare an emergency action program to assess the situation of the water sector in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, and to mobilize resources to rehabilitate water and wastewater infrastructure, giving the sector’s needs the highest priority.
Ministers further welcomed the adoption of the joint Arab-Islamic plan for early recovery and the reconstruction of Gaza and called on member states, as well as regional and international institutions, to expedite the provision of the financial and technical support necessary for its implementation, enabling the Palestinian government to develop water and sanitation services in a manner that strengthens resilience and promotes sustainable development.
At the conclusion of the session, the State of Palestine was unanimously elected as a member of the OIC Water Council, in recognition of its continued efforts to defend Palestinian water rights and enhance cooperation among Islamic countries in this vital field.
It is worth noting that the session was preceded by preparatory meetings attended by the Permanent Mission of the State of Palestine to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, represented by First Counselor Naseem Zaanin, during which positions were coordinated and preparations were made for Palestine’s active participation in the ministerial meetings.
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