By IRNA
Dakar : Israel is pursuing ethnic cleansing against Palestinians in the occupied areas of Palestine and al-Quds al-Sharif, Palestine Authority chief said.
Speaking to world Muslim leaders gathered in Senegal, Mahmoud Abbas said that Israel is practicing systematic killing of civilians in Palestine and the occupied areas as part of an ethnic cleansing campaign.
Abbas said Israel had carried out policies designed to force Palestinians from the holy Quds.
He also said Arabs there were isolated from other Palestinian areas in part because of Israel’s contentious West Bank separation barrier.
“Our people in holy Quds are under an ethnic cleansing campaign, Abbas said in a speech.
At the summit of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, the world’s largest organization after the United Nations, Abbas appealed to Muslim leaders for support during a difficult junction in the Middle East peace process.
Abbas said Palestinians expect Israel to meet commitments to put an end to its aggressions and settlements expansion.
“Yet what is taking place on the ground today is totally in violation of that.”
Palestine has long been a core issue for the conference, which was founded in 1969 in response to an arson attack on the al-Aqsa mosque in holy Quds.
OIC aims to promote Islamic unity and serve as a voice for the Muslim world.
OIC summits are traditionally held every three years, and the agenda this year included studying ways to improve Islam’s image in the West protesting the cartoon and film campaign in Denmark and the Netherlands blaspheming great Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and the holy Quran.
The European Union campaign against Islam has gained momentum with rallying behind a Dutch lawmaker to make a film to desecrate the Islamic sanctities.
The European Union defends blaspheming the holy book as ‘freedom of expression’.
Iran has produced a film depicting Islam’s respect to Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him). May the Europeans learn how to deal with other religions and respect others’ belief.