OIC Calls for Recognizing East-Jerusalem as Occupied Capital of Palestine
Leaders from the 57-member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation have called on the world community to recognize East-Jerusalem as the “Occupied Capital” of the future State of Palestine and condemned the US administration’s move to recognize Al-Quds as capital of Israel and to relocate the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.
In the final communiqué issued following the group’s emergency summit convened Wednesday in Istanbul under the motto “Freedom for Jerusalem”, the Muslim leaders rejected President Trump’s move as “null and void” and said his “dangerous declaration” marked the US withdrawal from the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
They declared Eastern Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state and called on the world to do the same to respond to the President Donald Trump’s unilateral decision recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
They also hold the US administration fully liable for all the consequences of not retracting from this illegal decision; and regard it as an announcement of the US Administration’s withdrawal from its role as sponsor of peace and as a gift offered to Israel for its continuous blatant breaches of international legitimacy.
The summiteers called on the OIC member states to impose political and economic restrictions on States, officials, parliaments, companies and individuals recognizing Israeli annexation of Al-Quds Al-Sharif, or engaging in any form with measures aimed at perpetuating Israeli colonization of the occupied Palestinian territories.
The OIC strongly worded final Communiqué urged the international actors to promote a multilateral political process, to resume an internationally sponsored, credible process to achieve lasting peace based on the Two-State solution.
For OIC Secretary General Yousef Al-Othaimeen, the US administration’s unilateral decision is an utter aggression on the city’s sacred identity and Arab character.
He also rejected the US move, saying it violates international law and deals a hard blow to international relations, UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions. By taking this move, Washington is breaking the international consensus regarding the political, legal and historical status of Al-Quds Al-Sharif, added the OIC SG.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a “new alliance” had been formed to counter Trump’s Jerusalem declaration, noting that the US “can no longer act impartially” as a mediator between the Israelis and Palestinians.
For his part, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said : “We shall not accept any role for the United States in the peace process” because “They’ve proven their full bias in favor of Israel.”
The OIC called on the Arab Muslim world to join efforts, regionally and worldwide, to harness all the diplomatic means available to counter such measures and face up to the US unilateral decision rejected by most of the world countries.
