Extremists could use Trump's decision to turn political struggle into religious, Abbas

CAIRO – 13 December 2017: President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas Abou Mazen addressed the world leaders on Wednesday in Istanbul, warning that the extremists could use Trump's decision regarding Jerusalem to 'turn the political struggle into religious one."

In his speech before the extraordinary Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit Wednesday, Abbas stressed that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the state of Palestine based on history, stressing that Trump's decision is a “Great crime against humanity, and a flagrant violation against international laws.”

Abou Mazen said that Palestinians could withdraw membership of international bodies over Trump Jerusalem decision, adding that for the first time in history the world nations took a unified global action against the U.S. Jerusalem recognition.

Abbas further added that the U.S. is no longer an honest broker in the peace process, contending that Trump has put paid to the notion that the U.S takes neutral stances and provided terrorism with the fertile ground to strive.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry landed in Istanbul, Turkey, to attend the extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The summit, called initially by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, brings together high-level delegations headed by Muslim leaders to discuss the implications of last Wednesday’s decision by U.S. President Trump to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and thus declare it as the capital of Israel.

International and regional condemnations poured down on the U.S. decision; several protests accordingly broke out at several US embassies around the globe. (Additional reporting: Reuters)