Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, has condemned in strong terms the Israeli government’s approval for the building of 1600 additional settler homes in the occupied Palestinian territories. This provocative step is a premeditated disdain for the collective will of the international community and comes at a time when the Palestinian side has exhibited huge cooperation for efforts to revive the peace process killed by Israel’s unceasing violations.

The OIC which, the Secretary General said, supported the peace process since its launch in Madrid and the international efforts to ensure that it succeeds, thus achieving the goal of ending Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestine state, believes that Israel’s behaviour and practices are a serious affront to the international community. This calls for action on the part of the international community to curb Israel’s arrogance and deprecation of resolutions of international legitimacy.

The Secretary General added that the United Nations had a special duty to stop Israel’s infringements. He called on OIC Member States to support the activation of the role of the Security Council and the General Assembly under the “Uniting for Peace” formula to compel Israel to end its violations and occupation of the Palestinian territories and to establish an independent State of Palestine on the entire land occupied by Israel in 1967.