Palestine, Arab Group and OIC at UN Condemn Israeli Cabinet Decision, Call on Security Council to Act

Representatives of the State of Palestine, the Arab Group and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held a joint press briefing at the United Nations on 2026‑02‑09 to condemn an Israeli cabinet decision they said would amount to annexation of occupied West Bank territory and to press the Security Council and Secretary‑General to intervene.

An unidentified representative of the State of Palestine told reporters the delegation had circulated a formal letter to the Security Council, the Secretary‑General and the President of the General Assembly outlining Palestine’s position and had provided copies to the press. “We are gathered here today, in order to express our outrage and condemnation for what Israeli cabinet decided yesterday,” he said, and added that he had given a copy “in person to the president of the Security Council yesterday when I met with him at 02:00.”

The speaker urged the Security Council to “shoulder its responsibility to defend international law, including human rights law and humanitarian law,” and explicitly cited Security Council resolution 2334 and a later Security Council resolution referenced in the briefing. He said Bahrain’s ambassador to the Council had asked for a closed briefing on Thursday and that Arab and OIC delegations would meet at 03:30 at the Bahrain mission to coordinate next steps. He also said the delegations planned to seek meetings with all P5 members, including the United States representative and the Secretary‑General, and noted that a Security Council meeting on the 19th would be presided over by the U.K. foreign minister.

Delivering the Arab Group statement, an unidentified chair for the Arab Group said: “The Arab group condemns in the strongest terms the illegal Israeli decision and measures aimed at imposing unlawful Israeli sovereignty, entrenching settlement activities, and imposing a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank.” The speaker reaffirmed that “Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory” and renewed calls for the international community to compel Israel to halt what the group described as escalation.

The Arab Group statement referenced Security Council resolution 2334 and an advisory opinion issued in 2024 by the International Court of Justice, saying the opinion concluded that Israel’s policies and presence in the occupied Palestinian territory constitute violations of international law. The speaker expressed appreciation for a statement issued by the Secretary‑General on 02/09/2026 and said the Arab Group viewed the Arab Peace Initiative and a two‑state solution based on the 1967 lines as the only viable path to a just and comprehensive peace.

Ahmed, identified in the transcript as the Ambassador of Turkey and the OIC chair for the year, read a separate Organization of Islamic Cooperation statement that echoed the Arab Group’s language. “OIC group condemns in strongest terms the illegal Israeli decisions and measures aimed at imposing unlawful Israeli sovereignty,” Ahmed said, adding that expansionist policies “only serve to fuel violence and conflict in the region” and undermine the two‑state solution.

The briefing concluded with logistical notes: copies of the circulated letters and statements would be available to the press, and reporters were directed to the Turkish mission for the OIC text and to the Syrian mission for the Arab Group text.

There were no formal votes or recorded responses from Israeli or other delegations in this briefing; the speakers said further closed briefings and bilateral meetings with Security Council members were planned.