Islamic Nations Agree to Halt Political Contacts With Israel
Muslim countries agreed Saturday to stop political contacts with Israel until it ends deadly clashes with the Palestinians and heeds U.N. resolutions on settling the Middle East conflict.
Winding up an emergency one-day meeting, the 56-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, or OIC, said it had decided to “halt all political contacts with the Israeli government so long as the aggression and blockade against the Palestinian people and its national Authority continue and as long as Israel refuses to implement [related] U.N. resolutions.”
In Cairo this month, foreign ministers of the 22-member Arab League called for a freeze on relations with Israel but stopped short of demanding a full break in ties.
Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat had appealed to the Qatar gathering for strong support of the Palestinian uprising to end Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
In response, the OIC agreed on urgent financial aid without specifying any figures.
A statement issued at the close of the meeting also prescribed a halt in normalizing ties with Israel and closure of its missions and offices in member states.
Some OIC states, including Turkey and several African members, had voiced reservation about breaking political contacts with the Jewish state.
The communique urged world powers to press Israel to halt the violence against Palestinians and accept various peace initiatives on the table.
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