President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on countries who follow international law to recognize Jerusalem as the "occupied capital" of Palestine.

Erdogan was speaking at an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.

As the rotating president of the OIC, Erdogan said U.S. President Donald Trump's decision on Jerusalem was a threat to all humanity, including America.

Branding Israel an "occupying" and “terrorist” state, Erdogan said the country had been "almost rewarded" by Trump for its "terrorist actions".

Erdogan praised countries which have refused to recognize the U.S. move on Jerusalem, saying: "Only Israel, which occupies Jerusalem, supported the U.S.' unlawful decision. We thank all the countries who did not accept this illegitimate decision."

The Turkish president called on the U.S. to withdraw their "wrong, provocative and unlawful" decision.

Last week, Trump announced his decision -- despite widespread opposition across the Middle East -- to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The announcement sparked strong condemnation from around the world, including Turkey, the EU and the UN.

Jerusalem remains at the core of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- now occupied by Israel -- might eventually serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

During his election campaign last year, Trump repeatedly promised to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Anadolu

 (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday, the Trump administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was the “greatest crime” and a flagrant violation of international law.

“Jerusalem is and always will be the capital of Palestine,” he told an emergency meeting of Muslim leaders in Turkey. He said the United States was giving away Jerusalem as if it were an American city.

“It crosses all the red lines,” he said.

Abbas said it was unacceptable for the United States to have a role in the Middle East peace process because it was biased in favor of Israel.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday all Muslim nations should work together to defend the rights of Palestinians against Donald Trump’s decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Speaking in an emergency meeting of Muslim leaders in Turkey’s Istanbul city, Rouhani said the Muslim countries should resolve their internal disputes through dialogue and called for unity against Israel. Rouhani said Israel had planted seeds of tension in the crisis-hit region.

According to the Anadolu News Agency, in a speech to counterparts at the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Istanbul, Turkey’s foreign minister also urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to encourage other countries worldwide to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine based on the 1967 borders.

“We, who recognize Eastern Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, should encourage other countries to recognize East Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital on the basis of the 1967 borders,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said  where Anadolu Agency is the official host photographer. 

“We’ve gathered here in order to stop the persecution. The U.S. has deeply wounded humanity’s conscience. Israel is aiming to legitimize its occupation attempt. This U.S. decision is null and void for us,” he said 

“Let's protect Jerusalem, which is a holy site for the three Abrahamic religions," he said. “Palestine needs to be recognized by other countries.”

“We should encourage [countries] to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital,” but not only by saying that it is the capital, but by following through with action, he stressed.

“Today’s extraordinary summit will show the struggle of the Islamic Ummah," or community, he added. 

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his decision -- despite widespread opposition across the Middle East -- to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. 

The announcement sparked strong condemnation from around the world, including Turkey, the EU and the UN.

Jerusalem remains at the core of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- now occupied by Israel -- might eventually serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state. 

During his election campaign last year, Trump repeatedly promised to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Addressing the summit in Istanbul, OIC Secretary General Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen called on countries who have not recognized Palestine as a state to do so.

He said the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is "an exceptional challenge" facing Muslim nations.

He said the decision will fan violence in the region, giving extremists an excuse to sow chaos.

Anadolu

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