Turkish president hosts Islamic summit to back Palestinians, condemn Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday hosts, for the second time in half a year, a summit of the world's largest body of Muslim-majority nations seeking to show solidarity with Palestinians and condemn Israel after its deadly shootings of Gaza protesters. Erdogan hosted an extraordinary meeting of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in December last year, to denounce US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The Turkish leader vowed that Friday’s summit should send a “strong message to the world” over Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. However, as with the 2017 meeting, disputes between the OIC’s key players - Sunni kingpin Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran - may prevent the adoption of any measures going beyond harsh rhetoric, AFP said.