Indonesian President Joko Widodo declared the support of his nation for the independence of Palestine through both bilateral relations and regional and international fora during the special summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
In his opening extraordinary, Joko underscored that his support for the struggle of Palestine independence is in line with the framework of two-state solutions and a number of relevant resolutions. He also assured that as long as independence has not been granted to the Palestinians, Indonesia will keep challenging the Israeli occupation.
"As part of the international community, Israel must immediately stop its illegal activities and policies in occupied territories," Joko said.
The Islamic meeting was participated by more than 500 delegates from the 49 OIC member states, four representatives of the Quartet on the Middle East (United States, Russia, United Nations and European Union), five UN Security Council representatives, as well as three observers-countries. The summit was organized to discuss the recent violence in Israel, the occupied territories and the restriction of access to Al -Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third-holiest site in Islam.
"OIC was born from the urgency to support Palestine. Therefore, in line with our theme - United for a Just Solution - OIC has to be part of the solution, instead of the problem. If it's not happening, OIC will be no longer relevant. Once again I reemphasize, OIC won't be relevant," Widodo said.
He further stated that, whatever results are discussed in the conference will be immediately implemented.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said he was confident the summit would be a major milestone in enhancing solidarity among OIC member countries and supporting the Palestinian cause.
"The complexity of the problems continues to emerge in the Middle East, but the condition of Palestinians has always been a concern for Muslims in the world. Resolving the Al Quds issue can create peace in the region," Shoukry said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that his country will continue in supporting the Palestinian cause amidst the severe pressures for pursuing the policy over the past decades.
Zarif further stated, "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."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an immediate resolution on the issue of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif, an issue which he said was of concern to the entire Muslim ummah (community), including in its impact beyond Palestinian territory.
"The just solution for the Palestinian cause will cancel all pretext for the terrorist waves. These threats are looming high and near over all the countries of our ummah. We need to go on to build our societies and realize welfare for our people and defend our causes," Abbas said.
He emphasized that after Israel aborted all peace attempts since the Madrid conference, negotiations with such country is a waste of time.
Meanwhile, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir arrived in the summit despite of the international warrant of arrest issued by the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing as the mastermind of the genocide and other atrocities in the western Darfur region.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation is an international organization founded in 1969 consisting of 57 member states. The organization's mission is to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony.
