JAFFA, Israel – A predominantly Islamic international conference was held in Istanbul over the weekend under the banner “together we will liberate Jerusalem.”
Delegates from 30 Muslim countries participated in the meeting that was organized by the International Coalition of Student and Youth Organizations for Jerusalem and Palestine (ICSYOJP).
“The purpose of this conference is to devise a unified plan to liberate Jerusalem,” conference chairman Ziad Abu Mukhleh said in his keynote address. “Resistance in all its forms – military, ideological, diplomatic, political, public and artistic – is our way.”
“Our goal is that all student forces in the Islamic world will join hands in pursuing the Jerusalem issue, which will materialize only once the movements in our nation unite,” he added.
Ihab Nafee, the president of ICSYOJP, emphasized the importance of solidarity with the Palestinians.
“The conference admires and lauds the sacrifice and bravery of our Palestinian brethren,” he said.
A representative of the Turkish organizations the Youths of the Anatolia, under whose auspices the conference was held, addressed the audience saying that “Israel, a foreign implant in our region, divides the Muslims. We want to see Muslims coming from all over to pray in Jerusalem.”
Former Hamas Premier Ismail Haniyeh sent a recorded speech from Gaza, saying that the “Muslim nation” must come together to lift the 10-year siege on Gaza.