The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is keenly following up on peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, OIC’s secretary-general, said.

In an interview with Arab News following his latest visit to Palestine, Ihsanoglu stated that the position taken by the Israeli government, especially the expansion of illegal settlements, as well as the Judaization of Jerusalem, were not conducive to the peace process.

Ihsanoglu said: “There are 400 ultra-conservative Jewish settlers living by force amidst 250,000 Palestinians in Hebron. They are making the lives of residents miserable and they are actively pushing them to leave their homes. Israeli authorities are providing them with protection and cover.

Ihsanoglu said: “Some streets in the city have been closed for more than 15 years. They closed down civil institutions, schools and business establishments just to protect those 400 settlers, so you can imagine how difficult life can be for Palestinians.”

He said that the OIC was in constant contact with the Palestinian leadership.

Ihsanoglu said: “We reiterated the OIC’s position that we fully support the political efforts and choices of the state of Palestine toward restoring legitimate national rights and establishing an independent state, with Jerusalem as the capital.

“We stressed the OIC’s commitment to provide all kinds of political support in international circles, as well as provide financial support and ways to bolster a strategic plan to develop vital sectors in Jerusalem.”

Ihsanoglu said: “The OIC held a conference last June to provide an Islamic financial safety net for the state of Palestine. We are following up on these efforts.

There are many parties contributing to these efforts, like the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Solidarity Bank and development funds in member countries.

“Still, vital sectors in the city of Jerusalem are in dire need of funding and support. We should provide money so that people there can stand up to the challenges posed by the Israeli occupation forces.”

He said: “The Islamic Summit adopted a strategic plan to help the city and the plan is flexible. It can allow countries and organizations to contribute to supporting certain projects or certain sectors entirely.

That is why we ask people to follow the strategic plan when they want to provide support to the holy city,” adding that the OIC was also following up on talks between the Palestinians and Israelis under US patronage.

“We certainly hope that the outcome of these talks will be positive. However, the stance taken by the Israeli government, especially in the expansion and construction of settlements, is not helping the process. We have contacted the US administration and asserted that we support the two-state solution within the framework of international legitimacy.

“This solution guarantees the end of Israeli occupation of the territories and would also enable Palestinians to regain their legitimate rights in their homeland, including the establishment of a viable independent state within the June 4, 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital. We also stressed on the need to arrive at a fair solution to the problem of refugees,” he said.