ISTANBUL – Leaders of Islamic countries have called for East Jerusalem to be recognized as the capital of Palestine, stating that Donald Trump’s move last week voided any US right to be a mediator of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.
In a draft communique distributed to reporters, the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation said the US decision was “null and void legally” and is considered an attack on the rights of the Palestinians.
The leaders of the Muslim world, who gathered in Istanbul, Turkey on Wednesday for an emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have condemned the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The controversial move was branded as an “attack” on the rights of Palestinian people in the final declaration by the summit.
The declaration said that the US decision on Jerusalem is equivalent to its withdrawal from the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The OIC has recognized East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, according to the broadcaster, citing the final declaration of the summit.
“The US administration should give up its role in the peace process, and if the US does not step back, it will be responsible for all the consequences,” the declaration states, as quoted by the NTV.
The organization promised to take the discussion on Trump’s Jerusalem move to the UN General Assembly if the UN Security Council fails to take any action.
The draft communique said the bloc considers the US declaration as an “announcement of the U.S. administration’s withdrawal from its role as sponsor of peace.”
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