OIC should be able to respond to Israeli aggression

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) should be able to respond to the aggression of Israel which for many years has systematically employed murder and forced relocations.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been forced out from their villages, and hundreds of villages have been destroyed, but there is no accountability for Israels actions in the international community.

In light of this, House of Representatives Commission-I Chairman Mahfud Siddiq has stated that Israels actions, which are more aggressive and expansive in the midst of the Middle East conflict, are a challenge that must be answered in the OIC extraordinary summit meeting.

The 5th extraordinary OIC summit on Palestine and Al Quds that will be held in Jakarta from Sunday to Monday is a concrete effort by the OIC member countries to push for a settlement of the conflicts in Palestine.

"We have seen that in the Middle East conflicts and the problem of the Islamic world, Israel is getting more aggressive and expansive, and that it is a challenge that must be answered in the OIC extraordinary summit meeting in Jakarta," Mahfud Siddiq remarked here Saturday.

In the OIC summit meeting, the Palestinian issue and the Al Aqsa Mosque which is currently under pressure from Israel, will be discussed, he said.

The attitude of Israel with regard to the Al Aqsa Mosque is that it is a Jewish holy place and Muslims are blocked from entering into the mosque, according to him.

"The Israelis open the entrance to Jewish citizens to the Al Aqsa Mosque, not only at the wailing wall," he said.

The politician of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) explained that the OIC summit in Indonesia should generate an added value, because Indonesia has been rated the largest Muslim country which consistently fought for the independence of Palestine.

Indonesia, as a country that is not involved in the conflict in the Middle East, should take the initiative in consolidating the independence of Palestine and solving the problems in Al Aqsa Mosque, he said.

"The conflict in Syria brings the state support for the Palestinians almost to a standstill. Indonesia is not involved in the Middle East conflict so that it can take the initiative for consolidation," he said.

The ultimate goal of the OIC summit in Jakarta is to create a sovereign Palestinian independence, and that it should be consolidated well, according to him.

In addition, the classic problems in the issue of Palestinian independence is the unconsolidated political attitude and position of the OIC member countries, Siddiq said.

The OIC summit meeting is scheduled to be attended by 55 heads of state/governments of the OIC member countries, and the meeting plans to produce two documents about Palestine and the holy city of Jerusalem, namely the document resolution and declaration, according to him.

In the meantime, Palestine, Presidential Special Representative to the Middle East, Alwi Shihab, has said the OIC should make every effort to open international eyes to the cruelty of Israel against Palestine.

"The OIC extraordinary summit meeting in Jakarta from Sunday to Monday is an opportunity for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to open international eyes to Israeli cruelty against Palestine," Shihab remarked at the Muhammadiyah Dawah building here Friday night.

Israel has violated the norms of humanity by committing violence against the Palestinians, according to him.

"Therefore, the OIC summit meeting is a good opportunity for us to convey the issue to the world," he said, and added that there will be more discussions regarding the fate of the Palestinians which has been overtaken by other issues such as Arab Spring.

One large homework for the members of OIC is the matter of common vision of Islamic countries, and the other issue is the division within the Palestinian authority namely Fatah and Hamas, Shihab noted.

Indonesia plans to encourage leaders of Hamas and Fatah at the OIC summit meeting to reconcile with each other to realize to goal of Palestinian independence, Vice President Jusuf Kalla remarked in Makassar, South Sulawesi Friday.

"The OIC Extraordinary Summit will discuss Palestine with regard to settling conflicts. What is important for Indonesia is how Hamas and Fatah, West Bank and Gaza, would unite," Kalla said.

If the leaders of the Palestinian groups continued to argue, it would be difficult for Islamic countries to support Palestinian independence, he said.

"If they are still separated and involved in conflict, how can they solve their own problems?" he asked.

The Indonesian governments decision to honor the request of the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to host an extraordinary summit was based on a desire to do something for Palestine, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said.

"The options were to either do nothing or do something and we have chosen to do something," she said

Source: ANTARA