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PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia : The Islamic world is "outraged" over international "double standards" towards the Israeli offensive in Lebanon, the head of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said here Thursday.
OIC secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, a Turkish national, also warned that another failed peace initiative would only fuel more violence and terror and threaten global peace and stability.
The "Islamic Ummah (community) is outraged," because they do not understand how this human tragedy was allowed to continue, Ihsanoglu said.
"They are perplexed in the face of gross double standards applied by the international community," he said in his opening remarks to an OIC crisis meeting to discuss the Middle East conflict.
"Anger is spreading all over the Muslim world. I am afraid that the anger of the Muslim masses is being transformed into permanent hatred against the aggressors and their explicit and implicit protectors," he said.
"... failure of peace initiatives would endanger not only the peace efforts in the Middle East, but peace and stability in the whole world... another failure in this regard can instigate further violence and terror," he warned.
Lebanon says Israel's three-week offensive against the Hezbollah militia has left more than 800 civilians dead.
Ihsanoglu said there was a need to secure an immediate ceasefire which would be followed by an exchange of prisoners and a process of disengagement through an international force supervised by the United Nations.
Any efforts towards a solution of the conflict must take into consideration how the conflict emerged, he said.
"The problem has been going on for almost 60 years since the denial of the Palestinian people's right to life and territory," he said.
Ihsanoglu repeated his condemnation of the Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
"I reiterate our strong condemnation and denunciation of the ruthless Israeli operations being perpetrated against Palestine and Lebanon.
"Israeli aggressions have defied all norms and flouted international laws. Our people expect from us to take urgent action," he said.
Malaysia, which chairs the 57-nation OIC, is hosting nearly 20 nations at special crisis talks to demand an end to Israel's military offensives in Lebanon and Gaza.
- AFP /ct
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