(MENAFN- Gulf Times) His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani's participation in the extraordinary summit of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC), which was held on Wednesday in Istanbul, is reaffirmation of Qatar's steadfast role in defending the issues of the Arab and Islamic nations, especially the Palestinian cause. The Emir's participation in the summit reflects Qatar's firm belief that the recent American decision on Jerusalem accepting it as the capital of the state of Israel and the country's move to shift its embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city represents a dangerous escalation of the crisis and a provocation not only for the Palestinians but for the Arabs and Muslims, not to mention that it flagrantly violates all international laws. The US administration must recognise that its decision on Jerusalem is indicative of its partiality with the state of Israel and that it is directly responsible for any Palestinian blood shed at the hands of the Israeli soldiers.
It must also realise that recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will not change the reality of the holy city. Spelling out Qatar's clear stand on the issue, the country's Foreign Ministry stressed on Wednesday that the US decision on Jerusalem has no effect whatsoever on the legal or moral status of the holy city, which is at the heart of millions of Muslims and Christians.
The Qatari Foreign Minister's spokesperson has called on the United States to back down and reverse its decision.
It is important for Arabs and Muslims to have a unified position that forces Washington to back away from this biased decision that has damaged America's credibility as a peace sponsor between the Palestinians and Israelis. Endorsing this position, the Istanbul emergency Islamic summit has come out with a clear stand on Jerusalem that meets the ambitions and aspirations of the Arab and Islamic nations. It has in one voice rejected the US decision which has isolated the US administration even from its closest allies and friends. The summit has called on the global community to respond by recognising East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who hosted the summit, said the US move meant that Washington had forfeited its role as broker in efforts to end Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Echoing Erdogan's view, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said that his people no longer want US involvement in brokering any Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.
Describing US President Donald Trump's decision on Jerusalem as 'the greatest crime and a violation of international laws, Abbas called for the United Nations to replace Washington as a Mideast mediator.
President Trump must realise that his unilateral decision has been rejected by the international community. This was evident in the emergency Security Council meeting held on December 8.
What's more, President Trump's decision has serious implications for the security and stability of the region and for the peace process, which centres around the two-state solution.
There is only one way for the US to salvage its honour and respect in the eyes of Arabs, Muslims and the world at large it should forthwith retreat from its latest decision on Jerusalem, and work to bring the peace process back on track in order to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
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