Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has once again censured Israel’s recent massacre of Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip, calling on Muslim nations to give “a due response” to the regime’s latest crime.
In a phone conversation with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Thursday, Rouhani described Tel Aviv’s carnage of Gazans as a “criminal” act, saying Islamic countries should discuss “a proper response” to the regime's latest bloodshed during the upcoming summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Turkey.
The Israeli military on Monday resorted to snipers, tank fire and live ammunition to break up another Palestinian mass protest near the fence separating Gaza from the occupied territories.
Over 60 Palestinians lost their lives and over 2,700 others were injured during the military crackdown on the anti-occupation demonstration, which was held on the eve of Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe) Day and coincided with the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds.
The brutal Israeli response to the protest drew strong condemnation from the international community, the United Nations and leading human rights organizations.
The United States, however, rushed to Israel’s help and blocked two UN Security Council resolutions that would condemn the regime.
Turkey, which holds the rotating presidency of the 57-nation OIC, has called for an emergency meeting of the Muslim body on Friday in the city of Istanbul to coordinate a joint action against the occupying regime