The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) demands that member nations impose “sanctions on… the occupying power” and refers to Israel’s attack against Gaza as a “genocide.”
In a resolution passed at the conclusion of its summit in Gambia, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned a “genocide” in Gaza and urged its 57 member nations to impose sanctions on Israel.
“Sanctions on Israel, the occupying power, and halting the export of weapons and ammunition used by its army to perpetrate the crime of genocide in Gaza” was the organization’s call to action.
The resolution, which was obtained by AFP, called on members “to exercise diplomatic, political and legal pressure and to take any deterrent measures to stop the crimes of the Israeli colonial occupation, and the genocidal war it is waging against the Palestinian people, including by imposing sanctions” .
“An immediate, permanent, and unconditional ceasefire” was also demanded.
The OIC was established in 1969 in response to the destruction of the Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem. Its goals are to strengthen Muslim unity, aid in the Palestinian struggle, and safeguard Islamic sites.
During a combined conference with the Arab League in November 2023 in Riyadh, it denounced the activities of Israeli soldiers in Gaza but refrained from imposing harsh political and economic sanctions on Israel.
However, the OIC applauded South Africa’s December 2023 move at the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing Israel of genocide against the Palestinian people.
The main focus of the 15th OIC summit, which got underway on Saturday, was Cairo, the capital of Egypt, where this past weekend’s conference on a proposed truce related to the release of captives in Gaza ended without any real progress.
Only a small number of African leaders personally attended the OIC summit; the majority of the 57 member nations’ presidents sent delegates.
Israel launched its war on Gaza in response to Hamas’s historic attack on Israel on October 7, which, according to an AFP count of Israeli official estimates, claimed more than 1,170 lives.
According to the health ministry of the territory, Israel’s ceaseless military assault has killed at least 34,683 individuals in Gaza since October 7, the majority of them were women and children.
SOURCE: TRTWORLD
