Saudi Arabia\u2019s King Salman slammed Iran over recent attacks targeting the kingdom, describing the incidents on Saturday in a speech before Muslim leaders gathered in Mecca as \u201cterrorist acts\u201d that threaten global energy supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran had a representative present at the 57-nation summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, or OIC, but its top leadership did not attend.The Islamic summit drew political figures and heads of state from countries spanning Africa, the Middle East and Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They come with widely varying policies and priorities, but share a common reverence for the Al-Aqsa mosque in east Jerusalem, known as the first \u201cQibla\u201d because Muslims prayed toward it before the cube-shaped Kaaba in Mecca.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite sharp differences between OIC member-states on a gamut of issues, a final statement by the group stressed support for a future Palestinian state, as well as the rejection of any deal or plan that prolongs Israeli occupation and undermines the right of return for Palestinian refugees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The US recently sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf as tensions run high. The escalation stems from the Trump administration\u2019s decision to withdraw the U.S. from Tehran\u2019s nuclear deal with world powers last year and impose crippling economic sanctions on the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Glimpses of the plan suggest it sidelines or ignores the longstanding goal of Palestinian independence. A meeting next month in Bahrain aimed at rallying Arab economic support for the plan is being boycotted by the Palestinian Authority, but Saudi Arabia and the UAE are attending amid growing ties with Israel in the face of shared enemy Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The language stood in contradiction to the Trump administration\u2019s decision to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in recognition of it as Israel\u2019s capital, as well as a still undisclosed White House plan already rejected by the Palestinian leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to leaders from OIC countries, King Salman opened the summit saying the world must fight the sources and funding of terrorism around the world.He then said the alleged sabotage of four oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in past weeks represents a \u201cgrave danger\u201d to the security of maritime traffic and regional security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe emphasize that these subversive terrorist acts are aimed not only at the kingdom and the Gulf region, but also on the security of navigation and energy supplies to the world,\u201d King Salman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran\u2019s President Hassan Rouhani had his own message for OIC leaders ahead of the summit, urging them to stay focused on the rights of Palestinians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a letter published online Friday, Rouhani said Muslim leaders should not let the importance of Palestinian statehood be \u201cmarginalized\u201d in the face of the Trump administration\u2019s forthcoming Israeli-Palestinian plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rouhani also noted in the letter he was not invited to the Islamic summit, but expressed Iran\u2019s readiness to work with all Muslim leaders to confront the White House\u2019s so-called \u201cDeal of the Century.\u201d King Salman told OIC leaders that the rights of Palestinians remains the cornerstone issue of the organization, which was formed 50 years ago in response to an extremist arson attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem, one of Islam\u2019s most sacred sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe reiterate with emphasis the rejection of any measures that infringe upon the legal status of Al-Quds Al-Sharif,\u201d King Salman said, referring to east Jerusalem and the mosque compound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turkey\u2019s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said any peace deal that does not include an independent and sovereign Palestinian state along 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital will be rejected by the OIC body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe shall not accept the rewriting of history, exchanging justice with economic benefits and disregarding dignity and legitimacy,\u201d he told the OIC summit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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