EXCLUSIVE
perspective
By Mehdi Shakibaei
West Asian affairs Expert
The extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was held yesterday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This was the second meeting of the foreign ministers. Both meetings, along with the summit of the member countries’ leaders, were initiated and proposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran in the early weeks of the Gaza war. This demonstrates Tehran’s seriousness in pursuing the issues affecting the Islamic world, namely, the Gaza war and Israel’s atrocities. In fact, Iran has been consistently following this issue since the beginning of the war, while, unfortunately, for many Islamic countries, news related to Palestine and Israel’s massacres in the Gaza Strip has become normal.
Yesterday’s meeting serves as a significant test for Islamic countries to take responsibility for the Palestinian cause and the suffering of the people of Gaza.
Despite the initial purpose of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation being to support Palestine, nearly five months into the conflict, the organization and member countries have not taken specific actions or initiatives to confront it and have lagged behind in international influence in decision-making regarding Palestine.
This lack of decisive action could be attributed to the influence of Western-oriented perspectives and the relations of Western countries with many Islamic countries.
This inactivity has also resulted in many Islamic countries not pursuing an independent policy in the international system and aligning most of their policies with those of the United States. Therefore, as the United States is not seeking to stop the war, a cease-fire has not been achieved. It simultaneously seeks to eliminate Palestinian resistance groups and pressure the hardline Netanyahu cabinet to ultimately get rid of this troublesome cabinet and replace it with another cabinet. Therefore, while claiming to strive for an end to the war, the United States continues to provide political and military support to Israel and veto cease-fire resolutions in the United Nations Security Council. This stance has turned into a political satire.
Therefore, since the Organization of Islamic Cooperation does not feel responsible for Israel’s crimes and supporting the Palestinian people, it has not presented any serious plan, initiative, or even paid much attention to constructive proposals from the Islamic Republic of Iran at the summit of member states.
We hope that the meeting in Jeddah will lead to stronger positions being announced by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to prevent the genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and to be more effective in the plans related to the future of Gaza and Palestine.
While the Islamic Republic of Iran remains committed to the rights of Palestinians, it also encourages other Islamic countries to take on their Islamic and ethical responsibilities.