OIC, in a communiqué issued on Wednesday, called on to the world to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital city of occupied Palestine.
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REUTERS/Osman Orsal
Leaders and representatives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states pose for a group photo during the Dec. 13 extraordinary meeting in Istanbul, Turkey.
ISTANBUL, KOMPAS – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in a communiqué issued on Wednesday (13/12) at the extraordinary summit in Istanbul, Turkey, called on to the world to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital city of occupied Palestine. In the Declaration of Istanbul titled “Freedom for Al-Quds”, it rejected and strongly condemned the move by United States President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel.
The communiqué also states that Trump’s decision was an “announcement by the US government to withdraw from its role as a sponsor of peace” in the Middle East. In a press conference on the results of the meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that there was no question about the role of the US as a mediator of Palestine-Israel talks. “The time [of US as mediator] is over,” said Erdogan.
The statement was made after the representatives of OIC member countries held a closed meeting. Kompas reporter Hamzriwan Hamid reported from Istanbul that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was one of the heads of state that were present at that meeting.
In its final statement, the OIC called on other countries also to reject the US recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. President Jokowi said that the two-country solution with East Jerusalem as the capital city of Palestine was the only resolution to the Palestine-Israel conflict.
The President also asked other countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel not to move their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Indonesia also urged the OIC to call on other countries to recognize the sovereignty of Palestine.
Furthermore, OIC members that have ties with Israel are being asked if they were willing to review their relations. The OIC has also been urged to increase the humanitarian aid it provides to Palestine.
Regarding the Jerusalem crisis, Erdogan asked other countries not to remain neutral in the issue of Palestine. It was feared that their neutrality would become a form of support for Israeli violence against Palestine.
He also urged for the recognition of Palestinian sovereignty. “Every country that respects international law must accept East Jerusalem as the capital city of Palestine. Muslim countries will never give up fighting for that,” he said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated that there would be no peace or stability in the Middle East until the recognition was given.
Abbas said that Trump had withdrawn the US from its mediator role for peace in the Middle East by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel. “It will be unacceptable for [the United States] to have a role in the political process any longer since it is biased in favor of Israel,” he said.
He described Trump’s move as “a gift for Zionists”. The US made the move as though Jerusalem was one of the American states and that the US was free to give it to any party it wished.
Iran President Hassan Rouhani criticized some OIC members. “Some countries in this region are in cooperation with the US and the Zionist regime in determining the fate of Palestine,” he said.
Nevertheless, he still asked that OIC members defend Palestine following Trump’s announcement. “Iran is ready to work unconditionally with all Muslim countries to defend Palestine. The unity of Muslim countries is important, and Jerusalem must be a priority,” he said on the sidelines of the OIC meeting.
He accused Israel of causing division among countries in the Middle East. Iran’s policy openly supports Palestine and opposes Israel.
On various occasions, Iranian leaders have openly declared that Israel must be destroyed.
Israel bombs
While the OIC meeting was taking place, Israel dropped bombs on Palestinians in the West Bank. Israeli jets fired rockets into Palestinian settlements. Israel claims that rockets had been fired from the West Bank into southern Israel. It says that the rocket was fired by a Palestinian resident, so it had responded with an aerial strike.
No deaths were reported in the attack. However, a number of people were reportedly injured.
Other than firing at Palestinians, Israel also arrested Hamas founder and member Hassan Yousef, who was caught in Ramallah, the temporary capital of Palestine. The Israel Security Agency, or the Shin Bet, said that Yousef was captured for his “involvement in advancing and promoting Hamas activities” in the West Bank.
