On May 10, an extraordinary meeting of the Parliamentary
Union of the Organization of the Islamic Conference convened in Istanbul,
Turkey. The
organization is made up of the countries of Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the
Middle East with large Muslim populations, including both secular and
religious governments. Delegates from 29 governments were in attendance,
and Israel’s belligerent policy of expanding Jewish-only settlements in
Jerusalem topped the meeting’s agenda.
The Istanbul Declaration, unanimously adopted at the
meeting, calls for an immediate halt to settlement expansion. Delegates noted
that the Israeli policy is an effort to forcibly change the identity of the
population in Jerusalem and eliminate Palestinian resistance forces. The
policy, they said, is also the primary obstacle to peace negotiations.
Also as a result of the conference, Iranian Parliament
Speaker Ali Larijani called for the creation of a permanent committee to
investigate methods of preventing Israeli aggression against Palestinians and
the occupied Palestinian territories, such as the desecration of sacred sites.
