Istanbul: In response to the US President Trump’s decision to recognise East Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel, the leaders of 57 Islamic Nations announced that they now officially recognise occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
The leaders of Organisation of Islamic countries met at Istanbul, Turkish capital in an emergency summit in response to the US President’s announcement.
The summit was also attended by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun, Jordanian King Abdullah II and top ministers of numerous nations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sharply criticized Israel, calling it a ‘terror state.’
He told the summit that ‘I am inviting the countries who value international law and fairness to recognise occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.’
Tayyip Erdogan also added that Jerusalem is a ‘red line’ for Muslims who will not accept any aggression on its Islamic sanctuaries.
The Palestinians equally lay claim to Jerusalem and want the eastern part of the city as capital of their future state. Some 200,000 Palestinians live in that part of the city and Palestinians claim a deep cultural, historical and religious connection to the city.
The King of Saudi Arabia did not attend the meeting. However, he said that Palestinians have the right to Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital.
Israel’s 1967 annexation of east Jerusalem has not been recognised by most countries of the world. In the 1967 Mideast war, Israel captured the city’s eastern sector and later annexed it in a move that is not recognized internationally.