The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Chair of the Islamic Summit,
His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, His Excellency Hissein Brahim Taha,
Your Hignesseses, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu,
“We want to live. We want peace. We want medicine, food, and education. We want to live as the other children”.
These are the words of innocent Palestinian children, who held a press conference at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza - the site of sustained Israeli attacks.
These children should be living a carefree life in the loving arms of their parents. They should be studying at school. They should be in the playground with their friends. They should be equipping themselves with the knowledge and skills they need. They should
be filled with hopes, and dreams of a bright future.
Yet today, these children - these innocent Palestinian children - are begging for their lives. They are mourning the death of their parents and loved ones. Of their friends and teachers. Their hopes and dreams, their futures, and aspirations, are being quashed in front of our eyes.
Excellencies, protecting these children, and the people of Palestine, should be our rallying call. Their lives, their rights, and their freedom, have been central to our cause. It is the central cause of our very organization.
We cannot let the most vulnerable become collateral damage in yet another conflict the international community is failing to solve. In fact, we cannot let the death of these innocent children, all those innocent civilians, be brushed off as “collateral damage”.
It is a shame that we still continue to argue that their lives have meaning. It is a shame that we continually ask if the dead have to continually prove they are dead.
As we speak, the fate of Palestinians continues to be death, destruction, and despair.
This cannot go on. And we must not fail them.
This is why, we must continue to strongly condemn the ongoing Israeli military aggression against the civilians in the Gaza Strip. We must continue to work towards an immediate ceasefire. And, we must continue to be their voice.
Excellencies,
On this note, on behalf of President Solih, the Government and the people of Maldives, let me express our most sincere gratitude to King Salman bin Abdul Azeez, Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for bringing us together to deliberate on an issue that is central to our Ummah. We commend your leadership and strong commitment to tackle this issue and find a solution to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people.
Your Hignesseses, Excellencies,
Collective punishment is a violation of international humanitarian law. But that is what the innocent civilians of Palestine are being subjected to.
And because of this, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is worsening by the hour. Hospitals, mosques, universities and refugee camps are targeted every day. No where is safe. The people of Gaza continue to suffer without food, electricity, medicine and water. It is just a matter of time until they completely run out of essential commodities.
We must ensure that the humanitarian support meets the humanitarian needs. We must urge the opening of humanitarian corridors to ensure that the aid enters Gaza safely at the scale needed.
As such, the Maldives has pledged to donate two million cans of tuna to the people of Palestine in Gaza. This is a symbol of our solidarity with the people of Palestine.
Your Hignesseses, Excellencies,
We believe that the path to true peace and stability in Palestine, as well as the Middle East, lies in a two-State solution. But how we get there, matters. The path to a lasting solution cannot be paved with the blood and corpses of innocent civilians.
I take this opportunity to reiterate our firm support and commitment to the Palestinian people in realizing their inalienable rights and legitimate aspirations for an independent State, based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Your Hignesseses, Excellencies,
Every day, the Maldivian people weep for the people of Gaza. We mourn the dead and pray for them to attain the highest level of Jannah. We feel their pain. We are restless to end their suffering. To our brothers and sisters in Palestine, I bring to you a message
from the people of Maldives – “We stand with you! We will not give up! We will not relent!”
These are the same messages that keep reverberating in all our countries, across the Ummah.
My brothers and sisters, we must continue to fight for their rights. We must work together towards an immediate ceasefire. Together, we must deliver for the people of Palestine.
I thank you, Your Highness.