World should recognise East Jerusalem as Palestine capital - Muslim leaders

Muslim leaders around the world on Wednesday condemned US President Donald Trump’s move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and called on the world to respond by recognising East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, hosted a summit of more than 50 Muslim countries who are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member states in Istanbul on Wednesday and said the US move meant Washington had forfeited its role as broker in efforts to end Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

From now on, it is out of the question for a biased United States to be a mediator between Israel and Palestine, that period is over, Erdogan said.

We need to discuss who will be a mediator from now on. This needs to be tackled in the UN too, Erdogan said.

A communique posted on the Turkish Foreign Ministry website said the emirs, presidents and ministers gathered in Istanbul regarded Trump’s move “as an announcement of the US Administration’s withdrawal from its role as sponsor of peace”.

It described the decision as “a deliberate undermining of all peace efforts, an impetus (for) extremism and terrorism, and a threat to international peace and security”.

Leaders including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and Jordan’s King Abdullah, a close US ally, all criticised Washington’s move.

Jerusalem is and always will be the capital of Palestine,” Abbas said, adding Trump’s decision was “the greatest crime” and a violation of international law.

The Trump administration says it remains committed to reaching peace between Israel and the Palestinians and its decision does not affect Jerusalem’s future borders or status.

The communique on the Turkish ministry website and a separate “Istanbul Declaration” said the leaders called on all countries to recognise East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

We invite the Trump Administration to reconsider its unlawful decision that might trigger…chaos in the region, and to rescind its mistaken step,” the declaration said.

Host, Turkey warned that Trump’s decision would plunge the world into “a fire with no end in sight”.

Erdogan described it as reward for Israeli actions including occupation, settlement construction, land seizure and “disproportionate violence and murder”.

Israel is an occupying state (and) Israel is a terror state,” he told the summit.

I invite all countries supporting international law to recognise Jerusalem as the occupied capital of Palestine. We cannot be late any more,” Erdogan said.