TEHRAN, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday called for convening an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to make a joint decision on defending the "oppressed" Palestinian nation against Israeli "crimes."
File photo: Xinhua
Raisi made the remarks in a phone call with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, in which he also called for the improvement of bilateral ties, according to the website of the Iranian President's Office.
The Iranian president stressed that protecting the Palestinian people's rights and fighting Israel is an "unchangeable principle" within the formation of the Muslim world, whose unity in the face of Israeli "aggressions" is a constant necessity.
Widodo welcomed his Iranian counterpart's proposal for holding an emergency OIC meeting, hoping it would help prepare the ground for enhancing the relations among Muslim states.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday held a phone call with OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, in which the two sides discussed the recent Israeli raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque and the "desecration" of the holy place, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website.
Amir-Abdollahian also called for holding an emergency OIC meeting to address the recent Israeli "aggressions" against the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
For his part, Taha condemned the recent Israeli "aggression" against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, saying that the OIC will hold a meeting attended by the member states' representatives at the level of the executive committee to address the recent acts by Israel.
Israeli and Palestinian sources said on Thursday that Israeli police forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for a second consecutive day, triggering fresh clashes with Palestinian worshippers.
At least six Palestinians were reportedly injured, according to a statement issued by the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, the third holiest site for Muslims and the most sacred place for Jews, has long been a flashpoint site in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
