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Qatari emir to attend Istanbul OIC summit on Jerusalem issue 

Xinhua,December 12, 2017 Adjust font size:

DOHA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani plans to visit Turkey to attend an emergency Islamic summit to discuss the Jerusalem issue, the state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported Monday.

The Qatari leader was invited by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who called for the emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on Wednesday to discuss the U.S. recognization of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Meanwhile, Qatari Foreign Ministry expressed in a news release its strong indignation at Israel's hostility to Palestinian protesters during protests against the U.S. move.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced last Wednesday that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital and ordered to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to the disputed holy city.

The move has enraged the Palestinians and the Islamic world, as Jerusalem is revered as the third holiest site in Islam. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future independent Palestinian state.

Israel took over East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and declared the whole city as its eternal capital in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.

Violent clashes have erupted in the past days between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters in the Palestinian territories of Gaza Strip and West Bank. At least two Palestinians have been killed and a large number of others were wounded in the clashes.

Qatar, which has friendly relationship with the U.S., has expressed full support to the Palestinians, while denouncing the U.S. move.

Earlier, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani stated that the Arab and Islamic world are facing a "dangerous development" after Trump's move on Jerusalem.

Trump's move will cause an "international religious conflict of interest" between Muslims and Christians, he warned.

The OIC is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents. Enditem

 

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