Pan-Islamic body to meet in Turkey over Aqsa crisis

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation will meet in Istanbul next week for crisis talks on the escalating crisis at the al-Aqsa mosque compound after a week of violence following new Israeli security measures.

The 57-member pan-Islamic organisation will hold a meeting on Tuesday in Turkey, which currently holds the OIC presidency.

"The issue of the Al-Aqsa mosque is a red line," the Jeddah-based OIC said in a statement after a meeting in the Saudi Red Sea city.

"Attacking the al-Aqsa mosque in any way and under whatever pretext will have serious consequence and will lead to instability in the region," it added.

Israel unilaterally imposed the new security measures after a gun and knife attack killed two Israeli policemen on 14 July, a move seen as challenging the delicate status quo of the holy site.

Palestinians in Jerusalem mobilised en-masse against the metal detectors, boycotting entry to the al-Aqsa mosque and praying instead in surrounding city streets.

Since Friday, five Palestinians have been killed in clashes with Israeli forces, with more than 900 people injured in mass demonstrations.

Disputes over control and access to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, have set off major rounds of violence in the past.

The holy site is located in East Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.

It is recognised as occupied Palestinian territory under international law.