Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu also urged the international community to prevent Israel from drawing the region into a religious war. He denounced Israel’s arbitrary actions in occupied Jerusalem.
"When the OIC learned about the dangerous situation in Al-Quds, we communicated with international officials including the US secretary of state," the OIC chief said in a press statement.
He said Israeli aggression through the building of synagogues on Islamic endowment land, expansion of Jewish settlement on occupied Arab land and harassing unarmed Palestinians are clear violations of international law.
Ihsanoglu hoped that the Arab summit at the end of this month would take a firm stand on major issues, particularly the Palestinian one, and respond to the challenges being faced by Al-Quds and Hebron.
He highlighted the OIC’s efforts in the defense of the Palestinians’ right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. He said Israel had destroyed many historical buildings in Jerusalem as part of its move to make the city Jewish.
The OIC secretary-general also spoke about his organization’s efforts to combat Islamophobia in some Western countries. "We have taken up this matter with the United Nations, the Human Rights Commission and UNESCO, which have passed resolutions that emphasize the need to respect all religions," he added.
