‘OIC should prevent embassies from moving to Jerusalem’

By Fatih Erel

GENEVA

Palestine has urged members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to work to prevent countries from moving their embassies to Jerusalem.

"OIC members should take measures against those countries planning to move their embassies” to the contested city, Ibrahim Khraishi, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told Anadolu Agency

Speaking about a special session of the UN Human Rights Council held Friday on the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, Khraishi said the countries delivered "good statements" against Israel’s human rights violations.

He urged OIC members to agree on practical steps such as embargoes or sanctions against Israel and countries planning to relocate their embassies to Jerusalem.

Noting that the council had decided to urgently dispatch an independent international commission of inquiry to investigate violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, he said Israel would not allow the commission to enter Palestine.

He said Israel would not fulfill its obligations despite the UN Human Rights Council calling on it to cooperate fully with the commission of inquiry and to facilitate access and requests for cooperation as appropriate by other relevant UN bodies with the commission of inquiry to carry out its mission.

Khraishi said the use of force against Palestinian protesters and the targeting of civilians by Israel amount to “crimes against humanity and war crimes".

Highlighting Turkey's efforts for Palestine, Khraishi said "we highly appreciate what Turkey is doing”.

Turkey, the rotating president of the 57-member OIC, hosted an emergency meeting Friday to discuss joint action against Israel in the wake of the recent Gaza killings.

The Istanbul summit was convened by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to denounce the Israeli violence during mass rallies Monday along Gaza's eastern border.

On Monday, at least 62 Palestinian demonstrators were martyred -- the youngest just eight months old -- and thousands more injured by Israeli armed forces along the Gaza-Israel fence, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Thousands of Palestinians had gathered on the Gaza Strip’s eastern border to take part in protests marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel -- which Palestinians refer to as Nakba, Arabic for " the Catastrophe" -- and protest the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.