Muslim states hold an emergency meeting today to forge a strategy towards Israel amid growing calls for a suspension of all political contacts until the Israelis halt attacks on Palestinians.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who called the meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), arrived in Doha last night and was expected to make an emotional plea for support from the gathering.
Delegates said talks on the sidelines at the one-day conference are focused on freezing political contacts with Israel, condemning its settlement policy on occupied Arab land and voicing full support and financial backing to the eight-month Palestinian Intifada.
The OIC has so far failed to convince the United Nations to approve the a deployment of peacekeepers to protect Palestinians.
Arab League chief and former Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa told reporters the OIC faces a heavy responsibility and a difficult problem, which is the failure of the Middle East peace process.
He said the OIC must fully support the Palestinians in defeating what he called Israel's policy of forcing them to surrender unconditionally through its military might.
