Sixth Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit | ||
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Host country | Turkey | |
Cities | Istanbul |
The Sixth Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit was a conference organized by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on 13 December 2017. [1] This summit resulted "Istanbul Declaration on Freedom for Al Quds." [2]
The summit was mainly organized in response to American President Donald Trump’s '6 December statement' to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and plan to move their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
57 representatives of 57 member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation attended the summit, with 30 of 57 representatives are heads of state, and a specially invited head of state President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela. [1] Amongst the heads of state were host leader Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan's King Abdullah II; Lebanese president Michel Aoun, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, Qatari emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Pakistani prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi [3] and Bangladesh president Abdul Hamid. [4]
Discussions focused on condemning the decision of President Trump on Al Quds (or Jerusalem) and defending the Palestinian Cause and Al Quds for the whole humanity. [2] The Trump decision violated the international law as well as the UN resolutions with the UNSC resolution 478 on Jerusalem and disregards the historical, social and cultural facts of the Holy City. [2]
The summit was closed with a final communique for more unity among Muslim countries in the joint decision of the summit concerning about condemnation of President Trump decision on Al Quds, and the illegal settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories, and strengthen the commitment to safeguarding the rights of the Palestinians in Al Quds. [2] The summit also made a declaration to recognize East Jerusalem as Palestinian capital. [5]
Jerusalem is an ancient city in West Asia, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, and is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital; Israel maintains its primary governmental institutions there, and the State of Palestine ultimately foresees it as its seat of power. Neither claim, however, is widely recognized internationally.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, formerly the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member states, with 48 being Muslim-majority countries. The organisation states that it is "the collective voice of the Muslim world" and works to "safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony".
East Jerusalem is the sector of Jerusalem that was held by Jordan during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to the western sector of the city, West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel. Under international law, East Jerusalem is considered a part of the West Bank and, therefore, of the Palestinian territories. A number of states recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine, whereas other states assert that East Jerusalem "will be the capital of Palestine", while referring to it as "an occupied territory".
The dispute between Israelis and Palestinians, who both claim Jerusalem as their capital city, has been described as "one of the most intractable issues in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict", with conflicting claims to sovereignty over the city or parts of it, and access to its holy sites. The main dispute revolves around the legal status of East Jerusalem and especially the Old City of Jerusalem, while broader agreement exists regarding future Israeli presence in West Jerusalem in accordance with Israel's internationally recognised borders.
The Islamic Republic of Iran officially recognises Palestine as a state. Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, rejects a two-state solution and implies that Palestine is inseparable, while Iran's former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for a free referendum for the entire Palestinian population, including Arab citizens of Israel, to determine the type of government in the future Palestinian State, while reiterating that establishment of a Palestinian State alongside Israel would "never mean an endorsement of the Israeli occupation".
The State of Israel and the Republic of Turkey formally established diplomatic relations in March 1949. Less than a year after the Israeli Declaration of Independence, Turkey recognized Israeli sovereignty, making it the world's first Muslim-majority country to do so. Both countries gave high priority to bilateral cooperation in the areas of diplomacy and military/strategic ties, while sharing concerns with respect to the regional instabilities in the Middle East. In recent decades, particularly under Turkey's Erdoğan administration, the two countries' relationship with each other has deteriorated considerably. However, diplomatic ties were reinstated after a successful normalization initiative in mid-2022.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the State of Palestine:
Saudi Arabia and Turkey relations have long fluctuated between cooperation and alliance to enmity and distrust. Since the 19th century, the two nations have always had a complicated relationship. While Turkey and Saudi Arabia are major economic partners, the two have a tense political relationship, deemed from the historic enmity.
Pakistan continues to enjoy a privileged status in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. In terms of population, it is the OIC's second largest member. Pakistan is the only Muslim country to have detonated nuclear weapons, has the sixth-largest standing military force in the world and a large labour workforce working in various Muslim countries.
Political relations between the State of Palestine and the United States have been complex and strained since the 1960s. While the U.S. does not recognize the State of Palestine, it recognizes the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the legitimate representative entity for the Palestinian people; following the Oslo Accords, it recognized the Palestinian National Authority as the legitimate Palestinian government of the Palestinian territories.
The Palestinian–Serbian relations are bilateral relations between the State of Palestine and the Republic of Serbia. Relations between Serbia and Palestine have been very close and friendly. Even though Serbia had reestablished relations with Israel in 1991, its relations with Palestine still remain excellent.
Quds Day, officially known as International Quds Day, is an annual pro-Palestinian event held on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan to express support for Palestinians and oppose Israel and Zionism. It takes its name from the Arabic-language name for Jerusalem: al-Quds. The event was initiated in 1979 in Iran, shortly after the Islamic Revolution. Nominally, it exists in opposition to Israel's Jerusalem Day, which has been celebrated by Israelis since May 1968 and was declared a national holiday by the Knesset in 1998.
The United States officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel on December 6, 2017. American president Donald Trump, who signed the U.S. presidential proclamation, also ordered the relocation of the American diplomatic mission to Israel, formerly located in Tel Aviv. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the U.S. recognition and praised the announcement by the Trump administration. On December 8, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson clarified that Trump's statement "did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem" and "was very clear that the final status, including the borders, would be left to the two parties to negotiate and decide" in reference to the move's impact on the Israeli–Palestinian peace process.
United Nations General Assembly resolution ES‑10/19 is an emergency session resolution declaring the status of Jerusalem as Israel's capital as "null and void". It was adopted by the 37th Plenary meeting of the tenth emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly during the tenure of the seventy-second session of the United Nations General Assembly on 21 December 2017. The resolution was drafted by Yemen and Turkey. Though strongly contested by the United States, it passed by 128 votes to 9 against with 21 absentees and 35 abstentions.
The Trump peace plan, officially titled "Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People", was a proposal by the Trump administration to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. President Donald Trump formally unveiled the plan in a White House press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 28 January 2020. The plan had been delayed by two years and previously rejected by the Palestinians, who were not invited to the meeting.
The Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement, officially the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement: Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalization Between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel, was initially agreed to in a joint statement by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 13, 2020, officially referred to as the Abraham Accords. The UAE thus became the third Arab country, after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, to agree to formally normalize its relationship with Israel, as well as the first Persian Gulf country to do so. Concurrently, Israel agreed to suspend plans for annexing parts of the West Bank. The agreement normalized what had long been informal but robust foreign relations between the two countries. The agreement was signed at the White House on September 15, 2020. It was approved unanimously by the Israeli cabinet on October 12 and was ratified by the Knesset on October 15. The UAE parliament and cabinet ratified the agreement on October 19. The agreement went into effect on January 5, 2021.
The Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement, officially Abraham Accords: Declaration of Peace, Cooperation, and Constructive Diplomatic and Friendly Relations is an agreement to normalize diplomatic and other relations between Bahrain and Israel. The agreement was announced by President Donald Trump on September 11, 2020, and followed on from a joint statement, officially referred to as the Abraham Accords, by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 13, 2020. It was formally signed on September 15, 2020, at the White House in Washington, D.C., and made Bahrain the fourth Arab state to recognize Israel and the second within a month.
Al-Quds Committee, also known by its affiliated arm name adopted in 1995, Bayt Mal Al Quds Agency, is an intergovernmental organization and one of the 4 standing committees of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation established in July 1975. It is focused on cultural, political, social, religious and human rights issues in Jerusalem caused by the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Its principles are predominantly focused on the protection of Al-Aqsa, and cultural heritage of the city in addition to serving as an advocacy agency specialized in humanitarian and social works, concerning health, education housing children's as well as women's rights.
Islamic Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is one of the five highest decision-making bodies of the OIC, the other four being the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, Standing Committees, Executive Committee, and the International Islamic Court of Justice. The Islamic Summit is a principle organ of the OIC focused on formulation, development, and implementation of decisions made by 57 member states. The Summit is attended by the concerned heads of state such as prime ministers, presidents, emirs and other equivalent heads.