14 December 2017•Update: 14 December 2017
By Erric Permana
JAKARTA, Indonesia
Indonesia on Thursday asked member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to rethink their relationship with Israel.
The suggestion came after President Joko Widodo’s speech at the OIC summit in Istanbul the previous day.
"We ask that countries belonging to the Islamic cooperation who have close ties to Israel take necessary diplomatic steps, including reconsidering that relationship," the president said upon his return to Jakarta.
Widodo also encouraged Muslim nations to support Palestine at every occasion, for instance by lobbying other countries that have not yet recognized Palestinian independence.
"The OIC has to vote to include Palestine's membership to all international organizations," Widodo added. "We should mobilize support from countries that have yet to recognize Palestinian sovereignty."
In a previous United Nations summit, Indonesia had urged OIC nations to prepare a resolution rejecting the U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Last week, Trump announced his decision -- despite widespread opposition across the Middle East -- to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocate Washington's embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.
Trump’s announcement sparked strong condemnation around the world, including from Turkey, the EU and the UN.
The OIC is the second-largest inter-governmental body after the United Nations, and its 57 member states spread over four continents.
It was established during a historic summit in Rabat, Morocco in 1969 following an arson attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.
