The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held an urgent session on Wednesday in Istanbul. In a concluding statement, the organisation demanded the US reverse its decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and refuted its plan to move its embassy to the city.
The OIC’s statement said that it is time the world recognises the state of Palestine, calling on OIC members to implement political and economic sanctions on states, entities, and individuals who recognise Jerusalem as part of Israel or who accept procedures that reinforce the occupation of Palestinian territories.
“Jerusalem is a red line,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said during the session as he called for several measures aimed at stopping the US move.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry condemned the US decision during the session and said according to a ministry statement, “should we dismiss international law and accept instead violation of legal and human rights by force?”
Shoukry added that any change in the status of Jerusalem is a reward for the occupation, asserting that Jerusalem is occupied and an inseparable part of occupied Palestinian territories since 1967. “This reality can only be changed when occupation ends,” he stated.
Abbas demanded that the world revise its recognition of the state of Israel, since it “insists on violating international decisions,” including laws on occupation.
Among procedures, he demanded that the OIC call for a UN Human Rights Council urgent session, address the UN Security Council to abolish the US decision, and support Palestinian efforts in trying to obtain full membership status at the UN.
Abbas said that his government already stopped security coordination with Israel and that after Washington announced it might shut down the Fatah office there, relations with the US Consulate in Jerusalem were halted.
Jordanian King Abdullah II, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also denounced the US decision during the summit.
King Abdullah II said the US decision threatened security and stability, adding that such unilateral stances were warned against. For his part, Erdogan said world powers should recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, while he described the US decision as a “reward for Israel’s terror acts,” Reuters reported.
This comes as Israel continued to launch airstrikes in several areas as well as conducted arrests, including the detention of Hamas members, Palestinian media reported.
