Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called on world powers to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine today and said the United States should reverse a decision recognising the city as Israel’s capital.
Addressing a summit of Muslim leaders in Istanbul, Erdogan described Washington’s decision last week as a reward for Israeli “terror acts” and said the city was a red line for Muslims.
According to media reports, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said the US had “disqualified itself from playing a role in the peace process”.
“We shall not accept any role for the United States in the peace process. They have proven their full bias in favour of Israel,” he told the summit.
Branding Trump’s move as the “greatest crime” that threatens world peace and a flagrant violation of international law, Abbas noted the international community has nearly unanimously opposed the decision, calling it a “provocation” to Muslim and Christian sentiments.
Abbas warned extremists could use Trump’s decision to “turn a political struggle into a religious one.”
The meeting of leaders and ministers from more than 50 Muslim countries takes place a week after US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Jerusalem, which triggered widespread protests in the Middle East and Islamic world.
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