Gulf Cooperation Council ministers on Thursday affirmed their position for the establishment of an independent  Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, amid increasing illegal occupation by Israeli settlers of Palestinian territories.

In a statement issued at the close of its 57th session in the Saudi capital, the GCC Ministerial Council condemned Israel's continued construction of settlement units in the occupied Palestinian territories, “in clear violation of international legitimacy resolutions, including UN Security Council Resolution No. 2334.”

The Ministerial Council welcomed the Australian government's announcement of its intention to use the term "occupied Palestinian territories" and called on the international community to follow suit by pressuring Israeli authorities to reverse their settlement decisions and “to resolve the conflict, in a way that fulfills all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”

The Council also denounced the “repeated incursions by Israeli officials and settlers into the courtyards of the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque.”

Such incursions were not only “a violation of the sanctity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and a provocation of the feelings of Muslims” but also a “serious violation of international law and the historical and legal status quo in Al Quds and its sanctities,” said the statement.

The Council commended Saudi Arabia’s decision to appoint a non-resident ambassador to the State of Palestine and Consul General in Al Quds, as a continuation of the stance of GCC states in protecting Islamic sanctities and supporting the Palestinian cause.

It likewise welcomed the final statement of the Egyptian-Jordanian-Palestinian tripartite summit, which was held in the city of El Alamein in the Egypt on August 14, 2023, and its discussion of the Palestinian cause in light of the current developments in the occupied territories.

It called on the GCC member countries and international community to continue supporting the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) until its mission until all Palestinian refugees return to their homes.