OIC should encourage other countries worldwide to recognize East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital, says Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu
Turkey appealed on Wednesday for the world to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state, as it opened an Islamic summit called in response to a U.S. decision to recognise the city as Israel's capital.
"Firstly, the Palestinian state must be recognized by all other countries. We must all strive together for this," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said as foreign ministers convened ahead of the full summit meeting.
"We, who recognize Eastern Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, should encourage other countries to recognize East Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital on the basis of the 1967 borders," Çavuşoğlu said.
Jerusalem, revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, is home to Islam's third holiest site and has been at the heart of Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades.
“We’ve gathered here in order to stop the persecution. The U.S. has deeply wounded humanity’s conscience. Israel is aiming to legitimize its occupation attempt. This U.S. decision is null and void for us,” Çavuşoğlu said
“Let's protect Jerusalem, which is a holy site for the three Abrahamic religions. Palestine needs to be recognized by other countries,” he added.
Israel occupied Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it, an action not recognized internationally.
“We should encourage [countries] to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital,” but not only by saying that it is the capital, but by following through with action, he stressed.
“Today’s extraordinary summit will show the struggle of the Islamic Ummah," or community, he added.
Çavuşoğlu said this week Turkey would not call for sanctions in response to the U.S. move, but would appeal for all countries that have not formally recognised Palestine as a state to do so, and to issue a strong rejection of the U.S. decision.
He said the summit would declare East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital and call for Israel to withdraw from territories it occupied in a 1967 Middle East war. Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in that war and later annexed it in an action not recognised internationally.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will address the summit.
U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement last week recognizing the city as Israel's capital led to protests in many Muslim countries. Turkey said it would plunge the world "into a fire with no end".
Turkey has invited leaders of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a group of more than 50 Muslim nations, to Wednesday's meeting in Istanbul to formulate a joint response to Trump's decision.
