The Sixth Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit was a conference organized by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

on 13 December 2017.Muslim Leaders Declare East Jerusalem the Palestinian Capital
''New York Times'' This summit resulted "Istanbul Declaration on Freedom for Al Quds."

Background

The summit was mainly organized in response to American President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

’s ' 6 December statement' to recognize

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

as Israel’s capital and plan to move their embassy from

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

to Jerusalem.

Participants

57 representatives of 57 member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation attended the summit, with 30 of 57 representatives are heads of state, and a specially invited head of state President

Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and president of Venezuela since 2013, with his presidency under dispute since 2019. Beginning his working life as a bus driver, Maduro rose to become a trade unio ...

of Venezuela. Amongst the heads of state were host leader Turkish president

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the List of presidents of Turkey, 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as Lis ...

, Palestinian president

Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas ( ar, مَحْمُود عَبَّاس, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen ( ar, أَبُو مَازِن, links=no, ), is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Natio ...

, Jordan's King Abdullah II; Lebanese president

Michel Aoun Michel Naim Aoun ( ar, ميشال نعيم عون ; born 30 September 1933) is a Lebanese politician and former military general who served as the President of Lebanon from 31 October 2016 until 30 October 2022. Born in Haret Hreik to a Mar ...

, Iranian president

Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. ...

, Qatari emir

Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani ( ar, حمد بن خليفة الثاني; born 1 January 1952) is a member of the ruling Al Thani Qatari royal family. He was the ruling Emir of Qatar from 1995 ...

, Pakistani prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Bangladesh president Abdul Hamid.

Discussions

Discussions focused on condemning the decision of President Trump on Al Quds (or Jerusalem) and defending the Palestinian Cause and Al Quds for the whole humanity. The Trump decision violated the international law as well as the UN resolutions with the UNSC resolution 478 on Jerusalem and disregards the historical, social and cultural facts of the Holy City.

Conclusion

The summit was closed with a final

communique A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

for more unity among Muslim countries in the joint decision of the summit concerning about condemnation of President Trump decision on Al Quds, and the illegal settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories, and strengthen the commitment to safeguarding the rights of the Palestinians in Al Quds. The summit also made a declaration to recognize

East Jerusalem East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the sector of Jerusalem that was held by Jordan during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to the western sector of the city, West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel. Jerusalem was envisaged as a separat ...

as Palestinian capital.

Reactions

*: Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

said "all these statements fail to impress us" in response to the declaration made by 57 representatives during the Muslim nations meeting. *: President

urged other countries outside OIC to recognize the State of Palestine, and added that Jerusalem is a 'red line' for Muslim who will reject any aggression on the Islamic sanctuaries. He also criticized Israel, calling it a terrorist state. After the summit, he planned to move Turkey's embassy from Tel Aviv to East Jerusalem. *: President

said that Donald Trump had committed the “greatest crime” with his declaration, and the Palestinians reject any role of the United States in peace talks with Israel. *: President

stated that "the United States is only seeking to secure the maximum interests of the Zionists and has no respect for the legitimate rights of Palestinians." He also criticized United States, calling it as not honest mediator in

peace negotiation A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surre ...

. On 27 December, the Iranian parliament voted for a bill that recognized Jerusalem as Palestinian capital.

References

{{Reflist Organisation of Islamic Cooperation 2017 in international relations 2017 conferences Diplomatic conferences in Turkey Islamic conferences December 2017 events