| Leaders and representatives of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states pose for a group photo during an extraordinary meeting in Istanbul |
A draft declaration prepared for a summit of Muslim leaders on Wednesday said they considered Washington’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as a sign of US withdrawal from its role as a sponsor of Middle East peace.
The draft statement said leaders, ministers and officials from more than 50 Muslim countries “declare East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine, and invite all countries to recognise the State of Palestine and East Jerusalem as its occupied capital.”
A copy of the draft declaration, tweeted by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, said the meeting rejected and condemned the US move “in the strongest terms”.
It described the US decision as “a deliberate undermining of all peace efforts, an impetus (for) extremism and terrorism, and a threat to international peace and security”.
Wednesday’s summit was hosted by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan who has bitterly criticised the United States, a Nato ally, for its stance on Jerusalem.
The city, revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, is home to Islam’s third holiest site and has been at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades. Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it in an action not recognised internationally.