Islami Shashantantra Andolon Ameer Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim speaking at a rally yesterday in front of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque protesting the US recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. -Jahidul Islam
The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an extraordinary Summit in Istanbul tomorrow to discuss the repercussions of the recognition by the United States of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as the EU has vowed push to make Jerusalem capital for Palestinians too. The Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States will hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the move in a unified and coordinated manner in the face of the developments affecting the occupied city of Jerusalem and its historical, legal and political status.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has joined the leaders from across the world to denounce US President Donald Trump for his recognition. "Trump's decision is arbitrary and it will destabilize harmony among different communities across the world," Sheikh Hasina said during a press conference on December 7. The Bangladesh premier also called upon the Muslim Ummah across the world to get united against the unilateral announcement for sake of existence of Palestinians.
The prime minister said, "There is a UN resolution and in accordance of the resolution no one can make such announcement and can accept the announcement disregarding it." President Donald Trump abruptly reversed decades of US policy last week and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, generating outrage from Palestinians and defying warnings of unrest in the Middle East.
Both Israelis and Pales-tinians claim Jerusalem as their capital, as the State of Israel maintains its primary governmental institutions there while the State of Palestine ultimately foresees the city as its seat of power; however, neither claim is widely recognized internationally.
To join the special OIC summit, President Abdul Hamid last night left Dhaka for Istanbul. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the summit following Trump's shift on Jerusalem. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam will accompany the president to the meeting. Turkey holds the chairmanship of the OIC now.
Meanwhile, the EU's top diplomat pledged on Thursday to reinvigorate diplomacy with Russia, the United States, Jordan and others to ensure Palestinians have a capital in Jerusalem after US President Donald Trump recognized the city as Israel's capital, adds Reuters.
The European Union, a member of the Middle East Quartet along with the United States, the United Nations and Russia, believes it has a duty to make its voice heard as the Palestinians' biggest aid donor and Israel's top trade partner.
"The European Union has a clear and united position. We believe the only realistic solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine is based on two states and with Jerusalem as the capital of both," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told a news conference.
She said she would meet Jordan's foreign minister on Friday, while she and EU foreign ministers would discuss Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Brussels on Monday. "The European Union will engage even more with the parties and with our regional and international partners. We will keep working with the Middle East Quartet, possibly in an enlarged format," said Mogherini, citing Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as Norway. "We remain convinced that the role of the United States ... is crucial," she said.
Mogherini, who also spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, threw her weight behind Jordan's King Abdullah, saying he was "a very wise man" that everyone should listen to as the custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.
Trump's decision stirred outrage across the Arab and Muslim world and alarm among US allies and Russia because of Jerusalem's internationally disputed status, and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas urged Palestinians to abandon peace efforts and launch a new uprising against Israel.
Mogherini stressed all 28 EU governments were united on the issue of Jerusalem and seeking a solution envisaging a Palestinian state on land Israel took in a 1967 war, but policy divisions within the bloc have weakened its influence.
"This is the consolidated European Union position," she said, saying EU foreign ministers made that clear to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday in Brussels. Hurdles for the EU include its range of positions, ranging from Germany's strong support for Israel to Sweden's 2014 decision to officially recognize the state of Palestine.
The EU is also perceived by some in Israel as being too pro-Palestinian, partly because of the EU's long-held opposition to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, diplomats say.
-Fardaus Mobarok, AA
Latest News