OIC declares East Jerusalem as Palestinian capital

The world's largest bloc of Muslim countries declared East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state at a meeting convened by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, solidifying opposition to President Donald Trump's recognition of the city as Israel's capital.At a summit held in Turkey a week after US President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the group of Muslim leaders on Wednesday called on all countries to "recognise the State of Palestine and East Jerusalem as its occupied capital"

While welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, many other world leaders - including the US Middle Eastern allies Turkey and Saudi Arabia - have expressed concern that the controversial move could spark renewed violence in the region and wider Muslim world.

Turkey's efforts on the Jerusalem issue show Erdogan taking on the role of a global coordinator for the Muslim world's push back against US support for Israel, according to Anthony Skinner, a director at UK-based forecasting company Verisk Maplecroft.Trump's move has provoked a wave of protests from Asia, through the Middle East, to North Africa, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets in recent days to denounce his decision.