ISTANBUL

Meeting in Istanbul, Groups of Parliaments in Support of Palestine on Saturday urged Israel’s Knesset to withdraw all laws and legislative initiatives that are incompatible with its obligations under international law and to ensure an immediate and lasting ceasefire for the implementation of all phases of the ceasefire agreement declared in Gaza on Jan. 15.

A declaration released following the meeting of 14 parliament speakers, including from Türkiye, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Azerbaijan and Malaysia, said: "We call for the implementation of the two-state solution in a reliable, sustainable, and irreversible manner, whereby two independent and sovereign states live side by side in peace and security, integrated into the region.

“We demand that the right of return for Palestinian refugees be ensured within the framework of international law, relevant UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative, to establish a just and lasting peace that fulfills the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.”

It added: “We believe that the two-state solution is the only viable option for the security of all nations and states in the region.”

More than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.