President Hassan Rouhani called on Muslim governments to join hands to stand against the US declaration recognizing Beit-ul-Moqaddas as the capital of the Israeli regime, proposing collective actions, including pushing US allies in Europe and the United Nations, to prevent the US from relocating its Israel Embassy.
The US stance was announced on December 6 by President Donald Trump who said he has ordered his administration to begin preparations for moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Beit-ul-Moqaddas.
“The United States only seeks to secure the maximum interests of the Zionists and shows no respect to the legitimate demands of Palestinians,” Rouhani’s website quoted him as telling the extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday.
The controversial US decision met with widespread international opposition and sparked days of protest across the Middle East and elsewhere.
Nearly all members of the international community, even US allies in Europe and other regions, denounced the move that could crush their hopes for the so-called "two-state solution" to the seven-decade conflict in Palestine. The US declaration inflamed the conflict and provoked what has been described as the third intifada (uprising), leading to ongoing confrontations between Israeli forces and protesters in Beit-ul-Moqaddas, West Bank and Gaza, which have left a couple of people dead and hundreds injured.
Israeli Nukes
Rouhani said Muslim states should put aside differences and unite to make every effort to prevent the enforcement of the foolish US decision.
"The issue of Palestine should once again be placed on top of the agenda of the Muslim world. With the defeat of Daesh in Iraq and Syria, and the necessity of continuing the fight against other terrorist groups, we should not forget the dangers of the Zionist regime, including its nuclear warheads, which is a threat to the whole world," he said, using an Arabic acronym for the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group. In order to counter such an "oppressive and low-minded" measure, Rouhani said Muslim governments should place the US administration under pressure.
He said, "The US administration should be aware of the reality that the world of Islam does not remain indifferent toward the fate of Palestine and the holy Quds.
"And that ridiculing international approvals and ideas of nearly all the international community on the issue of Palestine would have political repercussions and costs," he said.
Rouhani also said Muslim governments should urge the US allies and United Nations to hold Washington responsible for the unlawful decision.
"It is imperative on the Muslim states to harmonize their protest against the recent US decision in their talks with their American allies, especially European countries, and emphasize the necessity to oppose such a decision," he said.
"The United Nations, particularly the Security Council and its General Assembly, can and should play a key role under the circumstances to express their opposition to the recent US decision."
Rouhani concluded by saying that Iran stands ready to cooperate with each one of the Muslim countries to defend the holy Quds without any reservation or precondition.
