World, Middle East

Palestinian aide calls for boycott of Israeli products

Mahmoud al-Habbash says Istanbul summit shows 'seriousness' of Muslim countries against US, Israel

14.12.2017 - Update : 14.12.2017
Palestinian aide calls for boycott of Israeli products Mahmoud Sidqi al-Habbash, a senior adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun and Nilay Kar Onum

ISTANBUL

A top Palestinian official has called for Muslim countries to boycott products from the United States and Israel in the wake of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit held in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Mahmoud Sidqi al-Habbash, a senior adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, spoke to Anadolu Agency after the OIC extraordinary summit, which saw the bloc recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

“I believe it is a duty for Muslims to boycott Israeli products,” Habbash said. “Until Israel accepts and acts accordingly with international law, we call [on Muslims] to boycott Israeli products,” he said.

In regards to the extraordinary summit, Habbash said it displayed Muslim countries’ “seriousness” against the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and to move its embassy to the holy city.

“We are serious. We will not tolerate when it comes to issues regarding to our holy sites,” he said, warning: “We can take some painful steps against their [U.S. and Israel] interests in the region and the world.”

In response to a question if U.S. products would be included in the boycott call, the top adviser said:

“Right now, after the U.S. move, yes, it also regards boycotting U.S. products. America and Israel are on the same side. It is against the interests of the Muslim Ummah."

Action needed

Habbash said the summit itself was "very important".

“At least, getting together with Muslim countries to discuss such an important issue, the matter of Al-Quds, was very important,” he said. “I can describe the announcements and decisions taken at the summit as ‘a step taken’ against the Israeli occupation.”

However, Abbas’ adviser said it was “not enough just to announce” intentions.

“We need to translate the decisions taken at the summit and other previous summits into action."

"The challenge is not to only announce something. The challenge is how to translate those decisions into action, into practical steps on the ground,” he added.

“Relations among Muslim countries need to get better and Israeli occupation on the ground should be stopped.”

The summit showed that all the Muslim countries are together with Palestine, he said.

“Even the Christians are with them in their struggle in order to protect the religious identity and the history of Al-Quds,” Habbash added.

Tension ‘will not decrease’

Abbas's advisor also stated he did not expect tension in the region to decrease in the near future in the wake of the extraordinary OIC summit.

"The tension does not come from the political area. It comes from faith, the religion," he added.

The OIC issued a declaration on Wednesday recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

The "Istanbul Declaration" dubbed "Freedom for Jerusalem" was issued Wednesday evening after an extraordinary summit held in Istanbul.

"We confirm that we recognize the state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, and call [on] the world to recognize East Jerusalem as the occupied capital of Palestine," the declaration read.

The declaration also rejected and condemned the "unlawful" decision of the U.S. president.

The OIC was established during a historic summit in Rabat, Morocco in 1969 following an arson attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.

Al-Aqsa was set on fire by an Australian Christian called Michael Denis Rohan on Aug. 21, 1969. The shrine and a 1,000-year-old pulpit were totally destroyed as well as several historical sites.

Rohan had joined a U.S.-based sect called “The Church of God” and believed that setting fire to Al-Aqsa would hasten the coming of the Messiah.

He was later declared mentally unstable and is reported to have died in psychiatric care in 1995.

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