THE OIC is not an organisation known for tackling the great questions of the day that confront Muslim states with any vision or alacrity. However, during its emergency summit in Istanbul on Wednesday, there were some signs of life as the body raised its voice in reaction to Donald Trump’s ill-advised decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The OIC statement declared East Jerusalem “the capital of the State of Palestine” and called upon all countries to recognise this state.

Turkish President Erdogan minced no words while critiquing Mr Trump’s decision, terming it “the product of an evangelist and Zionist mentality”.

There were various leaders of Muslim states in attendance, including this country’s prime minister, as well as the leaders of Iran, Jordan, Indonesia etc. However, conspicuous by his absence was the Saudi king; Riyadh, instead, sent a minister.

The Saudi ‘snub’ did not go unnoticed, as Iranian President Rouhani quipped that “some countries in our region are in cooperation with the United States and the Zionist regime”. As for the Palestinians themselves, President Mahmoud Abbas used blunt language for the US, saying he saw “no role” for the Americans in the peace process.

While the show of unity is commendable, it must be seen how far this rhetoric can go in actually addressing the Palestine question in tangible terms. It is quite obvious that there is a divide in the Muslim world, with certain states — Turkey, Iran — openly expressing sympathies with the Palestinians.

Other more pro-American regimes in the Middle East, while declaring support for Palestine, are wary of upsetting Washington. It is also a fact that many of the Arab autocracies have been quietly expanding ties with Israel in the shadows.

Will Muslim states be able to bridge these geopolitical divides and speak with one voice to secure the rights of Palestine? There also needs to be greater clarity on whether the OIC has accepted that the Palestinians only have a claim on East Jerusalem; after all, 1993’s Declaration of Principles indicates that the status of the holy city had yet to be finalised.

The occupied territories are in ferment, especially in the aftermath of the US announcement.

The question is: will the Muslim world take practical steps to help secure a viable Palestinian state, or will the Palestinians be left alone to face the Israeli war machine as it tramples them underfoot?

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2017