Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 05/12/2017
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held an extraordinary meeting at the level of Permanent Representatives of its member states on Monday, 4 December 2017, in Jeddah on the attempts to change the legal and historical status of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and to examine the recent developments that could result from an eventual decision reported by the media indicating that the USA could acknowledge Al-Quds as the capital of Israel and therefore transfer its embassy to it.
The meeting recommended, based on developments that may take place on Wednesday, convening an emergency meeting of the OIC foreign ministers to be followed -if necessary- by an Islamic summit.
In this context, His Excellency the OIC Secretary-General, Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen thanked member states for responding to the call to convene a meeting of representatives to reaffirm the OIC’s firm position and the collective commitment of its countries to supporting the city of al-Quds which is going through the most critical stage following the media reports indicating that the United States is planning to change the legal and historical status of the city and to transfer its diplomatic mission thereto.
In his statement at the opening session of the meeting, the Secretary General said that this eventual move coincides with the serious situation in the occupied city of Al-Quds, including its Islamic and Christian holy places, its steadfast inhabitants, its cultural identity and its religious status as a result of Israel's attempts to bring about a geographical and demographic change and isolate it from its Palestinian surrounding and prevent its return to the Palestinian sovereignty as the capital of the State of Palestine.
The Assistant Secretary General for the Affairs of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Shareef, Ambassador Samir Bakr Diab, delivering the Secretary-General's statement also said that this approach contradicts the principles of international law and the resolutions of the Security Council, in particular resolution 478, which calls upon States that have established diplomatic missions in Al-Quds to withdraw those missions from the holy city.
The Secretary General stressed that these growing challenges place an even more urgent responsibility on the OIC Member States which must act more responsibly and effectively to take the necessary urgent measures on the international scene in order to contribute to affirming and defending the inalienable Palestinian rights in the holy city of Al-Quds.
The Permanent Representative of Palestine to the OIC, Maher Karaki, called on the OIC, its member states and the international community to exert every possible effort and pressure in order to put an end to such dangerous moves, which violate international law and represents an anticipation of all final status issues. The region is entering a cycle of violence and a serious state of instability that may be difficult to control.
