The Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) condemned on Thursday the decision of U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move U.S. embassy to the city.
ISESCO Director General Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri described in a statement this decision as a violation of UN resolutions which consider Jerusalem as part of occupied Palestinian territories.
He also deemed such a move as a contradiction to the principle of a fair settlement of the Palestinian cause and a threat to peace and security in the region stressing the status of Jerusalem as an Arab city and a land where Muslim and Christian sanctities outnumber those of any other religion.
In this regard ISESCO director general urged member states to take resolute actions to address the implications of this serious shift in the U.S. administration’s policy towards the Palestinian cause and its repercussions on Muslim sanctity and the rights of the Palestinian people.
In a Wednesday speech from Washington Trump said he had decided to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. embassy to the city.
Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East condemned the U.S. decision calling it an incendiary move and one that will fuel conflict and increase violence in the entire region.
By recognizing Israel’s claim to Jerusalem Trump is siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in the conflict.
International news outlets said Trump’s “deplorable and unacceptable” move signified America’s withdrawal as a sponsor of the peace process.
Thousands rallied Wednesday across Palestine and the world against the announcement burning U.S. and Israeli flags as well as pictures of Trump and Netanyahu.
The Hamas resistance group warned that Trump had opened “the gates of hell on US interests in the region.”
