57-nation OIC condemns U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem
by Sheuli Akter
DHAKA, May 15 (NsNewsWire) — The 57-nation OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) has strongly condemned condemned the U.S. decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
A joint statement, which Bangladesh issued here Monday evening as a chair of the 45th Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the OIC, said the U.S.Administration on May 14 unlawfully opened its embassy in Jerusalem, in clear violation of international law and legitimacy and is in clear contempt of international community position regarding Jerusalem.
“The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly rejects and condemns in the strongest terms this illegal decision by the US Administration and considers this action as an attack on the historical, legal, natural and national rights of the Palestinian people, which undermines the standing of the United Nations and rule of international law and thus represents an affront to international peace and security; as expressed at the Extraordinary OIC Islamic Summit held in Istanbul on 13th December 2017, and also by the international community at the UN General Assembly held on 21 December 2017,” reads the statement. The statement comes as at least 41 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire during clashes near the fence separating the besieged Palestinian enclave and Israel.
The Palestinian health ministry reportedly said that hundreds more were wounded.
The Palestinian National Authority, Iran, Turkey, and Egypt, as well as international human rights groups, condemned Israel for using extensive fire against mostly unarmed protesters. The OIC has expressed the view that such “deplorable action by the US Administration as a clear violation of all existing international laws pertaining to the status of Al Quds Al Sharif and Palestine, in particular the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967), 252 (1968), 267 (1969), 298 (1971), 338 (1973), 446 (1979), 465 (1980, 476 (1980) 478 (1980), 2334 (2016), United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/72/15 (2017). “
The OIC determines that the U.S. Administration has contradicted its own commitments and expressed utter disdain and disrespect to Palestinian legitimate rights, and international law and has made very clear that it has no regard for the rights and religious sentiments of the Muslim Ummah and concludes that the current US Administration has invalidated its role as a broker in any future peace efforts in Palestine.
The OIC reiterates to continue its efforts to defend the two-state solution and the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and statehood by creating positive and irreversible political and legal realities, and lead efforts to formulate a multilateral and credible approach to end the conflict on the basis of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. The OIC decides to pursue all available legal, political, and legislatives avenues at the national and international levels to confront and stop the Israeli colonial settlement regime in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and adopt actions to ensure that companies and other actors that choose to benefit from the Israeli colonial regime are deprived of the opportunity of accessing OIC markets.
The OIC,however, called upon all states to continue to fully implement UNSCR 476 and 478 of 1980 and in this regard urges all states to refrain from supporting the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the so called capital of Israel and not to relocate their diplomatic missions to Al Quds Al-Sharif and stresses that it shall apply political and economic restrictions to countries, officials, parliaments, companies, or individuals who recognize the annexation of Al Quds by Israel, the occupying power, or deal with any measures related to consecration of Israeli colonization of occupied Palestinian territory.
The OIC said it attaches great importance for a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of the State of Palestine, consistent with the internationally recognized terms of reference and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative adopted by the Extraordinary Islamic Summit in Makkah al-Mukarramah in 2005, OIC Extraordinary Summit in Jakarta in 2016 as well as the OIC Extraordinary Summit held in Istanbul on 13 December 2017 and the UN General Assembly Resolution No. 10/19 dated 21 December 2017. Enditem