Roundup: Iran urges Muslims states to prioritize Palestine issue

TEHRAN, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The 13th session of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) kicked off here on Tuesday with the senior officials highlighting the Palestine issue.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the cause of Palestine is the foremost issue of the Muslims.

The cause of Palestine is "an important issue of Islamic world and should not be forgotten," he was quoted as saying by semi-official ISNA news agency.

The resistance against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories has achieved advancements so far and "I believe that it will bear fruits," he said.

Khamenei also urged unity and solidarity among Islamic countries, saying that the regional governments who help the United States and Israel are "traitors to Islam and Muslims," mentioning Saudi Arabia.

He also touched upon the U.S. President Donald Trump's recent announcement of recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and said that Jerusalem is "definitely" the capital of Palestine.

The U.S. move to call Al-Quds (Jerusalem) the capital of Israel will fail eventually and "they won't be able to implement this (decision)," Khamenei said in a meeting with the participants at the OIC meeting.

Last December, Trump announced his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and instructed the State Department to begin the process of moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.

Iran's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the U.S. decision, saying Washington's recognition was a "blatant violation of international resolutions."

On Tuesday, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani also said that Palestine remains as the most important issue for the Islamic world, Press TV reported.

After the collapse of the Islamic State (IS) terror group in Iraq and Syria, the issue of Palestine has regained its importance for the Muslims, Rouhani said in the opening ceremony of the OIC meeting.

The current instability and insecurity gripping the region stem from continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, he was quoted as saying.

Rouhani urged the Islamic countries to unite for the creation of a "calm region and peaceful foreign relations," adding that Iran views no country as its "competitor" in the region.

"Some countries, however, are following the wrong path and seek to widen the rifts among Muslim nations under the U.S. and Israel's influence," Rouhani said.

Rouhani criticized some Muslim states for what called their dependence on foreign powers, saying "the experiences of modern history teach us that these powers solely think about their own interests."

Iran believes it could even engage in negotiations and cooperation with the countries with which it has differences of opinion based on mutual respect, he added.

Besides, the Iranian Majlis (Parliament) Speaker, Ali Larijani, said that the Muslim countries' parliaments attach especial importance to the Palestinian issue.

The issue of Palestine is one of the main concerns of Muslim countries and has always been high on the agenda of various conferences, Financial Tribune quoted Larijani as saying on Tuesday.

He said that the issue of Palestine has been received more significance after Washington's decision to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Also, the Lebanese parliament speaker urged on Tuesday all Islamic countries to relocate their embassies to Jerusalem, IRAN DAILY reported.

"I urge all Islamic countries to relocate their embassies to the holy city of Al-Quds and boycott Israeli goods," Nabih Berri said at the OIC gathering.

Since Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a number of Palestinians protesting the declaration have been killed and thousands more arrested, Berri was quoted as saying.

"So, I insist that we as Arab and Muslim nations should take a retrospective measure against such an shameful decision," he noted.

"The U.S. plan to relocate its embassy has caused a great challenge for us as it is a decision contradicting all the conventions of the United Nations," Berri said. Enditem