Foreign Minister Dr. Abdulla Khaleel has arrived in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to represent the Maldives at the Extraordinary Session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers, scheduled for 25 August 2025. This high-level diplomatic gathering has been convened in response to an urgent request from Palestine, Türkiye, and Iran, following the intensifying Israeli military operations in Gaza.
Held outside the Council’s regular annual schedule, this special session reflects growing concern among OIC member states over the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in the occupied Palestinian territories. With 57 member nations, the OIC remains a critical multilateral platform advocating for Muslim solidarity and Palestinian rights, and has been doing so since its inception. The Maldives, a member since 1976, has remained an active participant in its initiatives and continues to voice strong support for Palestinian sovereignty.
Minister Khaleel is expected to deliver a comprehensive address during the session, reiterating the Maldives’ unwavering commitment to Palestinian self-determination. His statement will underline the Maldives’ consistent stance: that a just and lasting resolution to the Palestinian issue lies in the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
In his remarks, the Minister will draw international attention to Israel’s declared intention to fully occupy the Gaza Strip—an action he will categorically denounce as a clear breach of international law. He is also set to emphasize the urgent need for the international community to enforce legal and humanitarian obligations to halt what he describes as gross violations of human rights.
Minister Khaleel will specifically highlight the use of starvation as a tool of warfare in Gaza, condemning it as a grave infringement of both international humanitarian and human rights law. He will make a strong call for the safe, sustained, and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to all areas of Gaza, which has been severely impacted by Israel’s continued blockade and airstrikes.
Moreover, the Minister will voice concern over the lack of meaningful and decisive action from the global community to address Israel’s ongoing aggression. He is expected to call upon all nations, particularly those within the OIC, to combine diplomatic efforts with tangible action to pressure Israel into compliance with international norms and to seek accountability for its conduct.
For nearly five decades, the Maldives has consistently condemned Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, urging the international community to uphold the principles of justice and international law. As the crisis in Gaza deepens, the Maldives’ participation in this extraordinary OIC session stands as a reaffirmation of its solidarity with the Palestinian people and its enduring commitment to peace, dignity, and human rights in the region.
This engagement also serves as a reminder of the Maldives’ active presence on the global stage, where it continues to advocate not only for its own national interests, including sustainable development and climate action, but also for the collective concerns of the Islamic world.
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