REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia Fariz Mehdawi has lauded Indonesia for playing a leading role in trying to find solutions to Palestinian issues.

Indonesia played a leading role by hosting an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jakarta, on March 6 and 7 this year, the ambassador told Antara.

Jakarta is the most appropriate place to host the summit because Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim population country, he said.

The Summit will be held at the Jakarta Conventional Center and is expected to be participated in by leaders of 57 countries grouped in the OIC.

The summit will also discuss Palestine's independence, the status of "Al Quds Al Sharif" (Holy City of Jerusalem), and water circulation in the West Bank of the Jordan River.

"The Holy City of Jerusalem is sacred and has spiritual values for Muslims all over the world. So, it is normal if the current situation in Jerusalem has made the OIC member countries concerned and try to find solutions to the problems in Jerusalem," the ambassador noted.

The Indonesian government will invite observer states, such as Thailand, Bosnia Herzegovina, Russia and the Republic of Central Africa, as well as member countries of the Quartet - Russia, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union to join the Summit.

Indonesia has expressed its concerns that illegal resettlement activities by Israel that have reached East Jerusalem would affect the demographic composition of the region and later make the Palestinian people lose their rights in the area.

Since the start of October 2015, Israeli forces have killed more than 180 Palestinians including 49 children, in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to the Defence for Children International (DCI)-Palestine, which was quoted by QudsNet on February 16.

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