Participants in the ‘Covenant for Jerusalem’ conference held in Istanbul on Saturday and Sunday, announced the launch of a popular document titled ‘The Covenant to Halt and Criminalise the Zionist Genocide in the Gaza Strip and Pursue its Perpetrators.’
The initiative aims to unify popular and institutional efforts to stop the ongoing genocide and hold those responsible accountable.
The organisers of the initiative, during a panel titled ‘Towards Renewing the Will of the Ummah in Confronting Extermination and Genocide’, affirmed that the document is open for individuals and organisations wishing to join and participate in implementing its provisions.
The document, presented by the President of the Jordanian Bar Association, Yahya Abu Aboud, said that the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip have been subjected for more than two years to a full-fledged genocide carried out by Israel through large-scale bombardment, a suffocating blockade that caused starvation and prevented medical care, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, in addition to documented violations against prisoners, women, and children.
The document stressed that these crimes were committed openly and in an unprecedented manner, clearly revealing the genocidal intent behind them.
It also reviewed a series of international and United Nations reports that have affirmed the genocidal nature of the assault on Gaza, including reports by UN special rapporteurs, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry, and global human rights organisations.
It asserts that international recognition of the reality of the genocide is now well-established, and that the current phase requires moving from diagnosing the crime to criminalising it and pursuing its perpetrators and accomplices without hesitation.
The document includes eight principal commitments that signatories pledge to uphold, most notably:
- Escalating popular action to stop the genocide and restoring international pressure on Israel;
- Intensifying efforts to break the blockade on Gaza and supporting maritime convoys until it is fully lifted;
- Expanding documentation efforts and media pressure to expose the crime and strip Israel of legitimacy;
- Criminalising genocide denial and confronting discourse that downplays Israel’s crimes;
- Supporting international legal efforts to prosecute Israeli political and military leaders, as well as complicit states and companies;
- Criminalising the colonial Zionist ideology, which the document identifies as the ideological root of the genocidal crimes;
- Strengthening popular and civil boycott efforts and isolating Israel economically and diplomatically;
- Establishing a joint coordination mechanism among signatories to ensure implementation of the covenant’s provisions.
The document concluded by emphasising that stopping the genocide is a shared moral, humanitarian, and legal responsibility, calling on peoples and institutions around the world to engage in a collective effort to deter Israel, deliver justice to the victims, and hold the perpetrators accountable.
Khaled Mishaal, head of the Hamas Movement in the diaspora, called for building a broad global coalition in support of Palestine, one which, he said, should mirror the international pressure campaign that preceded the end of apartheid in South Africa.
Speaking at the ‘Pledge to Jerusalem’ conference in Istanbul, Mishaal outlined ten strategic priorities that he said must guide the current phase of the struggle for Palestinian liberation.
Mishaal opened his speech by warning that Gaza, Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa and the region face an ‘existential threat’, adding that Israel seeks to ‘re-engineer Gaza geographically’ as part of its wider agenda.
He said it is time for the Muslim world to place the liberation of Jerusalem and the protection of Al-Aqsa Mosque at the centre of its agenda, asserting that the ‘covenant with Jerusalem is its liberation.’
He urged mobilising all efforts to support Gaza, secure a complete end to the war, ensure humanitarian relief, reconstruction, reopening of crossings and preventing any displacement or Israeli-engineered redesign of the Strip.
Gaza, he said, ‘lifted the sword for Jerusalem in 2021 and has paid the heaviest price; it deserves our full support.’
Mishaal warned that although large-scale bombardment has stopped, ‘starvation, siege, closed crossings and punishment of civilians’ continue, and that the genocide has taken a new form.
He firmly rejected any trusteeship, mandate or foreign administration over Gaza, the West Bank or any part of Palestine, saying, ‘The Palestinian rules himself. No guardianship, no mandate, no re-occupation.
‘Our people need protection, not supervision.’
Mishaal stressed the need to preserve the resistance and its weapons, calling them ‘the honour of the nation,’ and urged action to halt Israel’s intensifying settlement expansion and Judaisation of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
He also called for a national campaign to free Palestinian prisoners, who, he said, face unprecedented brutality, especially under Israel’s far-right minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and new attempts to legislate executions.
Emphasising the urgency of Palestinian national unity and that no victory or political achievement is possible without internal partnership, Mishaal said: ‘This homeland belongs to all of us; no one may monopolise the decision.
‘International projects want to erase Gaza, the West Bank, the Authority and the factions, unity is our shield.’
He urged Arab and Islamic states to adopt a unified regional strategy that resists Israeli aggression and rejects all forms of normalisation with the Israeli regime.
The Hamas leader also stressed the importance of boycotting and legally pursuing Israel internationally, noting that much of the world now views it as a ‘pariah criminal state’.
He said this was a critical moment to deepen its political isolation.
Finally, he called for restoring popular, political and student advocacy movements across the Arab world and globally, saying their impact after the October 2023 events remains a powerful force for change.
Sunday’s second day of the Jerusalem Covenant Conference continued with a panel titled ‘Determination in the Face of Imprisonment and Assimilation,’ organised by Al-Quds International Institution and several Arab and Islamic civil institutions.
The session was moderated by Dr Ömer Korkmaz, senior advisor to the former Turkish Prime Minister, and focused on the latest developments regarding Palestinian refugees and the situation of prisoners in Israeli jails.
Dr Intisar Danan, academic and author, highlighted challenges facing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), warning of attempts to redefine the Palestinian refugee status and weaken its legal recognition.
She stressed that any reduction in UNRWA’s role could negatively affect camp conditions and essential services.
Danan proposed measures to support the agency, including documenting violations, strengthening international diplomatic efforts, promoting unified media messaging, and supporting academic research on refugee issues.
Former Palestinian prisoner and dean of prisoners Nael Barghouthi provided a firsthand account of prison conditions, citing ‘harsh, unlawful measures,’ including solitary confinement, inadequate healthcare, and restrictions on over 3,500 administrative detainees held without charge or trial.
He called for stronger international oversight and legal accountability for prison authorities.
Dr Korkmaz emphasised that these issues should be addressed within a comprehensive political and legal framework, noting that the recent al-Aqsa Flood events have reignited global attention to the Palestinian cause.
The session concluded with questions from attendees on the harsh conditions in Israeli prisons.
Participants stood to honour Marwan Barghouthi and all Palestinian prisoners, applauding their resilience and steadfastness in the face of what they described as systematic attempts by Israel to break their will.