Iran has offered to host a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Quds Committee as part of efforts to end the ongoing fighting between Hamas and Israel. The proposal was made by its Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to Iyad Madani, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, during a telephone conversation to exchange Eid-el Fitr greetings as Muslims mark the end of the Holy month of Ramadan.
Tehran, especially when Ahmadinejad was President, had been critical of Israel’s policies towards Palestine. According to Minister Zarif, the proposed meeting will be centered on ending the Israeli attacks against the Palestinians and the means of paving the way for humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The offer was welcomed by Secretary General Madani who also showed his appreciation of the support the Palestinians have been receiving. He added that the organization is willing to collaborate with influential Muslim countries at regional and international levels to end the hostilities towards Gaza, the siege on the latter and the opening of the Rafah border crossing.
The United Nations and other influential regional countries have been trying to end the hostilities which have now left more than a thousand Palestinians dead and homeless within the past 20 days. Israel is adamant that its actions are anchored on self-defense while Hamas accuses it of embarking on another brutal military and colonization campaign.
The situation has forced the Speaker of the Arab Parliament Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Jarwan to call for an end to the “horrible tragedy under the Israeli barbaric war” on Gaza. He urged the international community to save the Palestinians from “the massacres they face at the hands of the (Israeli) occupation.”
There are no reports whether the Iranian proposal has been accepted.
