5 members disappoint OIC for not backing Palestinian bid at UN

While the 57 member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) were expected to support the Palestinian bid at the UN to become an observer nonmember state, five members refrained to vote yes.
Sources told Arab News that these members were Albania, Togo, Cameroon, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Earlier this month, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the secretary-general of OIC, expressed disappointment over these states’ stand. Especially that some of them are observer members too. Letters sent to each country saying that noncompliance of these countries with OIC consensus to support the bid of Palestine has created disappointment and bitterness, especially at this stage that requires full solidarity among OIC member states.
“We are very disappointed to note that five OIC members did not vote for Palestine while 18 EU member countries, in addition to Serbia, voted for this just cause,” Ihsanoglu said.
He reminded these countries of the promises they made at the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Djibouti last November about their intent to support Palestine. He stressed that despite the reliance of the OIC on its member states in supporting the Palestinian cause, which is at the top of priorities for the OIC, the abovementioned countries have deviated from the OIC line.
At the same time, he added, they contradicted the spirit of solidarity enshrined in the OIC Charter and their positions deviated from the resolutions of OIC summits and meetings.
Ihsanoglu praised the OIC member states that voted in favor of Palestine, stressing that the position of these countries has had a noticeable impact in support of the membership of Palestine in the international community, and through their vote, they boosted the values of freedom, justice and dignity.