Zarif, who is attending the summit on behalf of President Rouhani, said “the conditions in Palestine have been worsened due to use of force by Israel and continued brutal occupation by the Zionist regime has violated the most important principles of international law with regard to the protection of humanitarian rights.”
“The Israeli regime is applying the policy of changing the composition and Judaization of the Jerusalem’s Al-Asqa Mosque merely to cover up its expansionist plans for changing the status of Al-Asqa and its surroundings.”
Zarif further expressed that “as Muslims, we need to set aside all differences and seek practical measures to put an end to all aspects of Palestine’s occupation within an organizational framework; we need to hinder Israel’s illegal efforts to change the nature of Jerusalem as a step on the path to full freedom of Palestine.”
“The issue of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif remains the top priority at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and we are required to fulfill our promises in this regard,” emphasized Iran’s FM adding “today, we are dealing with various issues but nothing should divert our attention from the primary focus and philosophy of OIC.”
“An increasing number of state and non-state agents are moving away from strong support of Israel and its brutal policies which brings us new responsibilities,” he reiterated.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister of Egypt Sameh Hassan Shoukry made a speech at the opening ceremony on behalf of the the Egyptian president stressing Egypt’s position on solving the Palestinian issue as an essential prelude to peace in the Middle East.
President Joko Widodo of Indonesia officially opened the conference reiterating his support for the independence of Palestine through both bilateral relations and regional and international forums.
The Extraordinary Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif was opened on Sunday March 07 at the Jakarta Convention Center in the Indonesian capital, bringing together representatives of 49 countries with the motto of ‘United for a Just Solution’.
The summit is being held at the request of Palestine, after violence escalated in Israel and the occupied territories in recent months over Israel's restriction of access to the Al -Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, which is the third-holiest site in Islam.
A number of bilateral meetings between President Joko Widodo and his counterparts, as well as between foreign ministers, are scheduled to take place during the summit.
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