World Bulletin / News Desk

 Foreign ministers from Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states on Thursday night reaffirmed their support for Yemen’s political transition, while condemning recent Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem.

The foreign ministers made the assertions on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly session convened in New York to discuss recent events in East Jerusalem and ongoing political turmoil in Yemen.

OIC delegations stressed the need for international recognition of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, while harshly criticizing recent Israeli actions in East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

On Wednesday, scores of Jewish extremists backed by Israeli security forces stormed the mosque compound for the third consecutive day.

Tensions at Al-Aqsa have mounted in recent weeks due to a series of Jewish and Muslim religious holidays during which worshipers -- both Muslim and Jewish -- have visited the site in larger-than-usual numbers.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount", claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

OIC foreign ministers also warned that the ongoing crisis in Yemen would have “serious implications for regional peace and stability”.

Yemen descended into chaos last September, when the Shia Houthi militia overran capital Sanaa. In April, the group also managed to capture Aden, from which President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi -- along with most of his government -- was forced to flee to Riyadh.

In March, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched an extensive air campaign targeting Houthi positions across Yemen, allowing pro-Hadi forces to retake most of Aden province.

Thursday night’s meeting in New York was chaired by the OIC’s secretary-general and attended by representatives of the group’s 18 member-states, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and Yemen.