12/04/2026
STATEMENT: NATIONAL SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE FOR PALESTINE AND CALL FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
We, the 250 delegates of the National Solidarity Conference for Palestine and Call for Peace in the Middle East representing 76 organizations and offices gathered at Acacia Hotel in Davao City on 10-11 April 2026, declare our unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people in their enduring and courageous struggle for justice, dignity, and liberation and also express our vigorous call for peace amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.
We are proud to be part of this first-ever broad initiative in the Philippines that brings together leaders from the academe, workers, women, youth, other sectors, civil society organizations, and social movements; national and local legislators and parliamentarians from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM); Muslim and Christian religious leaders; and also partners from Palestine, Turkey, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
We affirm that what is unfolding in Palestine did not only begin on 7 October 2023. It is the continuation of a historical and structural injustice rooted in the dispossession of a people since the Nakba of 1948. This system—marked by settler colonial domination, occupation, siege, and apartheid—is not an aberration. It is a sustained structure of erasure, designed to dispossess Palestinians of their land, their history, and their future.
This structure does not stand on its own. It is upheld and reproduced by a global order driven by imperial power and capitalist accumulation. States and corporations continue to finance, arm, and protect systems of domination that profit from war, repression, and inequality. The same forces that exploit workers and concentrate wealth globally are those that enable the continued subjugation of Palestine.
That the Palestine conflict is a historical grievance and catalyst entwined with other factors is strongly demonstrated by the violent conflict in the Middle East initiated by United States-Israel against Iran, which, in turn, is affecting the rest of the world. The continuing violence against Palestinians has been exacerbated by the bombings, drone strikes, and airstrikes in countries like Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Yemen, and Iraq, as well as disruptions in maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Military actions have not only put the safety of civilians in the region at risk—including the significant number of overseas Filipino workers in the area—they have also caused economic uncertainties that reverberate around the world, impacting for instance, Filipino families who struggle with the sudden spike in the prices of fuel and commodities.
We reject the illusion of a so-called “peace process” that has only entrenched inequality, fragmented resistance, and deferred justice. There can be no genuine peace without justice, no justice without accountability, and no accountability without dismantling the structures of oppression.
We assert that any just and lasting political solution must go beyond frameworks that preserve domination. Whether expressed in one state or multiple political arrangements, what remains non-negotiable are the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people: the right of return, genuine self-determination, and full equality. Any proposal that leaves intact the structures of dispossession cannot be accepted and must be totally rejected.
We further affirm that the struggle for Palestinian liberation is inseparable from the broader global struggle against imperialism and capitalism. The Palestinian people’s resistance reflects the same system that exploits and marginalizes peoples everywhere—only in its most visible and brutal form.
Our solidarity extends beyond borders. We recognize the shared struggles of the Bangsamoro people in the Philippines, other peoples in the Southeast Asian region, and all communities fighting for freedom, dignity, and self-determination. The liberation of Palestine is bound up with the liberation of all oppressed peoples. We declare unequivocally: neutrality in the face of oppression is complicity. Silence is surrender; worse, it sustains violence.
We acknowledge the important lessons from the Bangsamoro peace process, as articulated in the keynote message of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (M**F) Peace Implementing Panel Chair, that peace without justice is fragile, and that meaningful self-determination is essential to any lasting resolution. We commit to drawing from these lessons in strengthening our advocacy for Palestine.
We subscribe to the following principles:
• Deepening solidarity: The initiatives of regional and international partners, including the Global Coalition for Quds and Palestine, the Asia-Pacific Coalition for Al-Quds and Palestine, the Asia-Pacific Women’s Coalition for Al-Quds and Palestine, and Majelis Ulama Indonesia need to be amplified, reinforced, and expanded.
• Advancing interfaith cooperation: The collective moral voice of Islamic scholars, Christian leaders, and interfaith advocates have to be harnessed to promote principled, people-centered solidarity rooted in justice and peace and counter insidious efforts to reduce the Palestinian crisis to religion-based differences.
• Centering lived experiences: The voices of survivors—particularly those from Gaza and the diaspora—have to be listened to and heeded, thus ensuring that their experiences guide our strategies and actions.
As we end this conference, we articulate the following demands in pursuit of justice, the right to self-determination, and peace for Palestine and the Middle East:
1. An immediate, total, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the West Bank, and across the Middle East, ensuring the full protection of civilians and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid;
2. Immediate and full dismantling of systems of occupation, blockade, and apartheid, and support for all international efforts aimed at ending these structures of domination;
3. Full accountability mechanisms, including international investigations and legal actions, to ensure that all perpetrators of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law are held accountable; and
4. Unequivocally uphold and fulfill the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights to return, ancestral lands, genuine self-determination, and the establishment of an independent state, consistent with international law and justice.
Finally, we commit to pursue the following concrete, orchestrated, and sustained actions:
a. Call on the member-states of the United Nations (UN), Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to move beyond declarations and undertake unified, decisive, and sustained measures in response to the ongoing crisis in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, including
i. Coordinated diplomatic pressure and collective action in international forums to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the protection of Palestinian civilians, and the enforcement of international humanitarian law;
ii. The imposition of concrete economic and political measures against policies and practices that sustain the occupation of Palestinian territories, the blockade of Gaza, and ongoing military aggression;
iii. The expansion and protection of humanitarian corridors to ensure continuous, safe, and unimpeded delivery of life-saving assistance to the people of Gaza and other affected areas;
iv. Provision of support and services to Palestinian refugees present in their respective countries; and
v. The strengthening of a unified and principled global Muslim voice in advancing the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination, dignity, and freedom from occupation
b. Challenge the Philippine government to take decisive actions, which include, among others, the protection of the rights of all Gaza-linked asylum-seeking families in the Philippines and the immediate suspension and prohibition of arms procurement, military cooperation, and defense agreements with Israel. Effective Philippine government action as regards Palestine and the Middle East will be consistent with its serious intentions as a regional and international leader in peace and security. The Philippines is the chair of the ASEAN in 2026 and has signified interest in securing a seat in the UN Security Council.
c. Urge the government of the BARMM to take a proactive leadership role by
i. Institutionalizing solidarity programs and adopting principled positions within the BARMM mandate, aligned with national policies and international humanitarian principles, in support of the Palestinian people and in recognition of escalating conflicts in the Middle East;
ii. Allocating sustained humanitarian assistance and mobilizing regional resources, in coordination with the Philippine national government and accredited partners, for communities affected by the crisis in Gaza and the wider Middle East, particularly vulnerable and marginalized populations;
iii. Integrating peace education, global solidarity, and critical awareness of geopolitical conflicts into madaris, schools, and community programs, emphasizing the disproportionate impact of war—including tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran—on the poor, displaced, and other at-risk sectors; and
iv. Convening inclusive regional platforms, dialogues, and partnerships that amplify the Bangsamoro voice in people-to-people solidarity, humanitarian advocacy, and collective responses to the humanitarian consequences of conflicts in Palestine and the broader Middle East
d. Educate, organize, mobilize, and strengthen social movements, academic institutions, faith-based groups, and civil society organizations to expose and oppose the economic and political ties that sustain injustice and institutionalize an annual national and regional day of action for Palestine, transforming awareness into sustained public engagement and political pressure
e. Build and sustain a broad-based Southeast Asian solidarity front, linking the Palestinian struggle with regional and global movements for justice, self-determination, and peace; and
f. Support and actively advance national and international solidarity efforts, including coordinated campaigns for boycott, divestment, and sanctions against institutions complicit in sustaining occupation, war, and systemic oppression. We urge our leaders from the BARMM and national government to lead this campaign.
The struggle for Palestine and peace in the Middle East is a frontline in the broader fight for a just and humane world. It calls on us not only to speak, but to act—to confront systems of domination, to build solidarities across borders, and to forge a future grounded in justice, equality, and collective liberation.
In unity and resolve, we stand with Palestine and for peace in the Middle East and are committed to develop sustaining mechanisms for coordination and unified action.
