Islamic nations hold emergency meeting to address escalation of Israel-Palestine conflict

With the Israel-Hamas violent clashes entering the second week, all 57 nations of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) huddled up on Sunday to address the escalation of tensions in the Middle East. The clashes which erupted earlier this month has witnessed a barrage of airstrikes from both sides leading to a vast number of civilian casualties. In response to the heavy fighting between Israel and Hamas, the OIC emergency meeting is the first major move by middle eastern countries to address the conflict. 

While several Arab countries have maintained that Palestinians should have their own independent state, Israel's recent recognition deals with several members of the OIC has helped Benjamin Netanyahu to sway some support. At the emergency meeting on Sunday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malk denounced the offensive airstrikes by Israel, terming it as 'cowardly attacks'. 

Striking a similar note, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Israel of the recent escalation in East Jerusalem and Gaza. "Our warnings to Israel last week went unheeded,” the Turkey representative said. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan urged the international community to work on ending Israel's military operations against Gaza and to allow aid to reach the coastal region.

Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, has criticized OIC members who reached recognition deals with Israel. “There are a few who have lost their moral compass and voiced support for Israel. If there are half-hearted statements within our own family, how could we criticize others who (don't) take our words seriously?" he said, as per the Associated Press. 

Israel-Hamas conflict

The tensions began in east Jerusalem earlier this month when Palestinians protested attempts by settlers to forcibly evict a number of Palestinian families from their homes and Israeli police measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque, a frequent flashpoint located on a mount in the Old City revered by Muslims and Jews. Hamas fired rockets toward Jerusalem late Monday, triggering the Israeli assault on Gaza. Since then, Hamas has fired more than 3,000 rockets, though most have either fallen short or been intercepted by anti-missile defenses i.e. the Iron Dome. 

Israel's warplanes and artillery have struck hundreds of targets around blockaded Gaza, where some 2 million Palestinians live. On Saturday, the 12-story al-Jalaa Building, where the offices of the AP, the TV network Al-Jazeera and other media outlets are located was razed to the ground by an Israeli rocket strike citing 'Hamas operation inside the building'.

UN chief appeals for ceasefire 

On Friday, the United Nations (UN) chief appealed for an immediate halt to the ongoing fighting between Gaza and Israel. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that the conflict could "unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and to further foster extremism,” not only in the Palestinian territory and Israel but also elsewhere in the region. A U.N. spokesman said Guterres is urging the parties to allow mediation efforts to intensify and end the fighting more quickly. Stephane Dujarric says the U.N. is “actively involved” in those mediation efforts.