OIC observer urges summit to discuss al-Aqsa

A Belgium-based analyst and peace activist, Mohammad Faisal, has urged the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to hold an extraordinary Islamic summit in Mecca to discuss the issue of Israel's "repeated crimes against al-Aqsa Mosque in al-Qods and ways to effectively counter them."

Israel said Sunday that excavation work near the al-Aqsa compound will continue.

Faisal, who has an observer status in the OIC, told IRNA Sunday that the whole Muslim world is very concerned about the "Zionist crime targeting Islamic holy sites."

The analyst who is based in the Belgian city of Antwerp said the Parliamentary Union of Islamic Countries (PUIC), an offshoot of OIC, is set to discuss the issue when it meets in Kuala Lumpur on February 15 and 16.

Al-Aqsa mosque is the third holiest Islamic site after Mecca and Medina.