OIC urges recognition of Beit-ul-Moqaddas as Palestinian capital

Leaders of Islamic countries called for East Beit-ul-Moqaddas to be recognized as capital of Palestine, stating that US President Donald Trump’s move last week voided any American right to be a mediator of the peace process.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan convened in Istanbul an emergency summit of the world’s main Islamic body, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), seeking a coordinated response to Trump’s recognition of Beit-ul-Moqaddas as Israel’s capital.

In a final statement, the participants declared “East Beit-ul-Moqaddas as the capital of the State of Palestine” and invited “all countries to recognize the state of Palestine and East Beit-ul-Moqaddas as its occupied capital.”

They declared Trump’s decision “null and void legally” and “a deliberate undermining of all peace efforts” that would give impetus to “extremism and terrorism.”

Erdogan denounced Israel as an entity defined by “occupation” and “terror”.

“With this decision, Israel was rewarded for all the terrorist activities it has carried out. It is Trump who bestowed this award even,” said Erdogan, who holds the rotating chairmanship of the OIC.

He said all countries who “value international law and fairness” should recognize occupied Beit-ul-Moqaddas as the capital of Palestine,” saying Islamic countries would “never give up” on this demand.

 

‘No more role for US’  

Using unusually strong language, Abbas warned that there could be “no peace or stability” in the Middle East until Beit-ul-Moqaddas is recognized as the capital of a Palestinian state.

“Beit-ul-Moqaddas is and will forever be the capital of the Palestinian state… There will be no peace, no stability without that,” he said.

Moreover, he said that with Trump’s move the United States had withdrawn itself from a traditional role as the mediator in the search for Mideast peace.

“We do not accept any role of the United States in the political process from now on. Because it is completely biased toward Israel,” he said.

The final statement from the OIC echoed this sentiment, saying Trump’s move was “an announcement of the US administration’s withdrawal from its role as sponsor of peace” in the Middle East.

He called on the UN to assume the mediating role in the Mideast peace process and revive it with a new mechanism.

The Palestinian president pointed to the unanimous international opposition to Trump’s decision, calling it a “provocation” to Muslim and Christian sentiments.

Abbas slammed the recognition by Trump of Beit-ul-Moqaddas as the capital of Israel as a “gift” to the “Zionist movement” as if he “was giving away an American city,” adding that Washington no longer had any role to play in the Middle East peace process.

 

Unity against Israel

In his address to OIC leaders, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described Zionists as “strangers” who have planted seeds of regional violence in the Middle East.

Rouhani expressed Iran’s preparedness to cooperate with Muslim countries to defend the Palestinian rights and called on Muslims across the world to unite against Israel’s policies.

He slammed certain regional states for seeking to establish relations with the Zionist regime, warning, “Today, it is no secret that the biggest enemy of the Jews is not the Muslims and Arabs but the dangerous project of Zionism.”

“Instead of countering the threats of the Zionists, some countries in our region are aligned with the US and Zionists to prescribe the fate of Palestine. If such prescriptions are taken, Zionists would permanently dominate Palestinians,” Rouhani said.

The Iranian president further called on the Muslim world to unite against the Zionist regime.

“If we suffer from differences amongst ourselves over some issues, we should not be divided on defending the holy Quds and the Palestinian cause. All the problems of the Muslim world can be resolved through dialogue. It is only through Islamic unity that we can better support the rights of the Islamic Ummah and the holy Quds,” he added.

Trump’s announcement last week prompted an outpouring of anger in the Muslim and Arab world, where tens of thousands of people took to the streets to denounce the decision and show solidarity with Palestinians.

The move sparked protests in Palestinian territories, with four Palestinians killed so far in clashes or Israeli airstrikes and hundreds wounded.

AFP and Press TV contributed to this story.