Indonesia leader calls on Muslim world to unite on Palestine

Jakarta, Mar 7: Indonesia's president today urged a summit of Muslim nations to be part of the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rather than part of the problem.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who heads the most populous Muslim nation, said the entire world is concerned by the deterioration of the situation in Palestine and criticized what he called Israel's "unilateral and illegal policies."

Officials from 57 countries are meeting in the Indonesian capital Jakarta for a special summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation that is focused on Palestine and Jerusalem.

The Middle East quartet and permanent members of the UN Security Council are also represented. "The OIC should be part of the solution, and not part of the problem," Jokowi said in opening remarks to the summit.

"If the OIC cannot be part of the solution to Palestine, then the OIC becomes irrelevant." Israel says a recent surge in violence is a result of a Palestinian campaign of lies and incitement.

Palestinians say it stems from frustration at nearly five decades of Israeli military rule.

Among the leaders at the Jakarta meeting is Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes allegations linked to the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.

AP