Dubai: An emergency summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to be convened in Istanbul today should declare occupied Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine, a senior Palestinian told a Turkish newspaper.
“We expect the OIC to recognise [occupied] Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. This will be an answer to [US President Donald] Trump. You know that [occupied] Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine but you need to declare it. It can have a very strong impact on the political level,” said Adnan Al Hussaini, the Jerusalem governor of Palestinian National Authority.
Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi has stressed his country’s firm stance on the necessity of preserving the legal and historical status of occupied Jerusalem in a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo.
Both leaders held a prolonged meeting on Monday and discussed the recent developments after the US recognition of occupied Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, spokesman for Egyptian presidency Bassam Rady said in a statement.
In Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin warned on Monday that Trump’s move risks escalating tension in an already tense region.
“Both Russia and Turkey believe that the decision... does not help regulating the situation in the Middle East but instead destabilises the already complicated atmosphere,” Putin said during a press conference.
Meanwhile, a new Palestinian opinion poll finds overwhelming opposition to Trump’s decision. The poll found that 91 per cent consider Trump’s declaration last week a threat to Palestinian interests.
