ISTANBUL, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of the Islamic world on Tuesday called on Israel to respect the rights of Palestinians following disputes over Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
"We expect Israel to adopt an attitude that completely embraces the sensitivity of Muslims in Jerusalem," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.
Bloody clashes erupted between the Israelis and Palestinians after Israeli authorities installed metal detectors at entrances to the mosque compound following the killing of two Israeli police officers on July 14.
Israel removed the detectors last Friday following denunciations from some parts of the world. Occupied by Israel in 1967, the Al-Aqsa mosque compound is one of the holiest sites in East Jerusalem.
Cavusoglu stated that two-state solution is essential for the resolution of the Palestinian issue and for the establishment of permanent peace in the region. "Until then it is a legal burden for Israel to pay respect to the holiness and historical status of Jerusalem," he said.
The top Turkish envoy also called on world countries to recognize the Palestinian state.
"Let's support the millions of Palestinians, who have been forced to stay under Israel's occupation or fled abroad, with our actions and not with mere words," he said.
Addressing the one-day OIC meeting, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Al-Malki accused Israel of trying to conduct an ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem and urged the Islamic World to be prepared for the next round which, he said, could come "very soon and very nastily."
Stating that Israel has been seeking ways to capture Jerusalem completely while making the region inaccessible to Palestinians, he said Israel will try "again and again with different methods and means" to impose its own status quo over Jerusalem.
Foreign ministers of the OIC member states met at the call of Turkey, which currently holds the presidency, to send a unified message to the world and to Israel.
