ISTANBUL, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Friday reaffirmed a call for a multi-sided international mechanism to be set up to help resolve the conflict with Israel, as the Islamic world is mulling over how to respond to Israeli violence against Palestinians and the U.S. relocation of its Israel embassy to Jerusalem.
Addressing an extraordinary meeting of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, the Palestinian premier asked the United Nations for an international protection of Palestinians and a probe into the killings of more than 60 Palestinians at the hands of Israeli forces on Monday at the Gaza border during demonstrations against the U.S. embassy move.
"We have to take practical steps and mobilize resources for Jerusalem to help Palestinians to stand up," he said. "We have already mentioned the importance of the creation of a multi-sided international mechanism that would help the resolution of the conflict."
The Palestinian side has rejected any U.S. role as a mediator in the peace process with Israel after U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December last year, as Palestinians want an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who called for the special OIC meeting to forge a united front against Israel, demanded action for Palestinians "massacred by Israeli bandits" to show the whole world that "humanity is not dead."
"Israel must be held accountable for the innocent people it slaughtered before international law," he said.
Turkey has recalled its ambassadors from Tel Aviv and Washington and asked Israeli ambassador to Ankara and consul general in Istanbul to leave for a while, with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim urging Muslim countries to review their ties with Israel following Monday's violence against unarmed Palestinians.
"The cause of Al-Quds is the cause of all Muslims," Erdogan told the OIC meeting, using the Arabic name for Jerusalem. "Al-Quds is too sacred to be abandoned to the mercy of a terror state which has on its hands the blood of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians."
"What Israel did is a state terror, thuggery and atrocity. We will follow this issue in the United Nations General Assembly as well," he added.
For his part, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani voiced support for the UN General Assembly to hold a special session to "make a judgment about the United States' illegal decision and the Zionist regime's crimes."
"We want to prevent new illegal actions to be taken," he said. "We also want proper political and economic measures to be taken. We propose to impose sanctions on the products of Zionist companies. We want to set up a mechanism to provide aid to Palestinians."
Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, the OIC secretary general, called it an "urgent and fair demand" for an international probe into the killings by Israel, saying "the aggressor should be sanctioned and held accountable."
He deemed it necessary for an international protection of the Palestinian people, adding that "Muslim people everywhere await real action that puts an end to the Israeli open aggression against Palestinian people."
