The Latest: Abbas: UN should lead Mideast peace process

ISTANBUL (AP) — The Latest on the gathering of Islamic nations seeking a united stance against the Trump administration's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital (all times local):

Lefteris Pitarakis

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, centre, flanked by other leaders waits for a photo-op prior to the opening session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Extraordinary Summit in Istanbul, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017. Leaders and top officials from Islamic nations, members of 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation gathered for a summit that is expected to forge a unified stance against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

APImages.com More photos »

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, centre, flanked by other leaders waits for a photo-op prior to the opening session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Extraordinary Summit in Istanbul, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017. Leaders and top officials from Islamic nations, members of 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation gathered for a summit that is expected to forge a unified stance against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

1 of 6

APImages.com

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, centre, flanked by other leaders poses for photographs during a photo-op prior to the opening session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017. Leaders and high-ranking officials of Muslim countries met in Istanbul to discuss the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Erdogan_ term president of OIC, the umbrella organisation of 57-members, has been vehemently critical of the U.S. move and said the leaders would relay a "strong message." (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

2 of 6

APImages.com

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, centre, flanked by other leaders poses for photographs during a photo-op prior to the opening session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017. Leaders and top officials from Islamic nations, members of 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation gathered for a summit that is expected to forge a unified stance against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

3 of 6

APImages.com

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, gestures as he delivers a speech at an event in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Leaders and high-ranking officials of Muslim countries will meet Wednesday Dec. 13, in Istanbul for an extraordinary summit to discuss the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Erdogan has been vehemently critical of the U.S. move and said the leaders would relay a "strong message." (Pool Photo via AP)

4 of 6

APImages.com

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, in Istanbul, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Leaders and high-ranking officials of Muslim countries will meet Wednesday Dec. 13, in Istanbul for an extraordinary summit to discuss the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Erdogan has been vehemently critical of the U.S. move and said the leaders would relay a "strong message." (Kayhan Ozer/Pool Photo via AP)

5 of 6

APImages.com

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, gestures as he delivers a speech at an event in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Leaders and high-ranking officials of Muslim countries will meet Wednesday Dec. 13, in Istanbul for an extraordinary summit to discuss the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Erdogan_ term president of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the umbrella organization of 57-members_has been vehemently critical of the U.S. move and said the leaders would relay a "strong message." (Pool Photo via AP)

6 of 6

APImages.com

1 p.m.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the United Nations to take charge of the Mideast peace process, and revamp it with a new mechanism since Washington is allegedly no longer "fit" for the task.

Abbas spoke at a gathering of Islamic countries hosted by Turkey on Wednesday. The summit is meant to hammer out a united stance in the wake of President Donald Trump's recognition earlier this month of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Abbas says the Palestinians are committed to a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and will continue to fight violence. But he added that following Trump's move on Jerusalem, Washington is not accepted as a fair negotiator.

Abbas also said it's time for countries who accept the two-state solution to recognize Palestine as a state. He urged those who recognize Israel to reconsider, saying the Jewish state has not committed to any international resolution.

He said the U.S. decision on Jerusalem should galvanize Arab, Muslim and Christian support for the city and that it seeks to change the identity of the divided city, which is home to some of the most sacred Muslim sanctuaries.

___

12:20 p.m.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the Palestinians won't accept any role for the United States in a peace process with Israel "from now on" after the Trump administration's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state.

Abbas says President Donald Trump's decision was a "crime" that threatens world peace. He says there will be no peace in the region if the world doesn't recognize east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

The Palestinian leader spoke on Wednesday at a summit of Islamic nations hosted by Turkey.

He says the international community has nearly unanimously opposed Trump's decision, calling it a "provocation" to Muslim and Christian sentiments and saying measures are needed to protect the identity of the divided city.

___

12:10 p.m.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sharply criticized Israel at the opening of a summit of Islamic nations in Istanbul, calling it a "terror state."

Turkey is hosting the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Wednesday in the wake of the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as its capital — a move widely criticized across the world but hailed by Israel. The summit is expected to forge a unified position of Arab and Muslim countries.

Erdogan said in his speech to the gathering that Jerusalem is a "red line" for Muslims who will not accept any aggression on its Islamic sanctuaries. He said East Jerusalem is the capital of a future Palestinian state and called on states that have not recognized a Palestinian state to do so.

Erdogan says the "process to include Palestine in international agreements and institutions should be sped up."

___

10:20 a.m.

Leaders and top officials of the world's Islamic nations are coming together in Turkey to try and forge a united stance against President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The summit of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation is expected to be the strongest unified response yet to Washington's move by the Muslim world.

Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, addressed a pre-summit meeting of OIC foreign ministers in Istanbul on Wednesday. He says the U.S. decision aims to "legitimize Israel's attempt to occupy Jerusalem."

Cavusoglu says the OIC nations "are here to say 'stop' to tyranny."

Jerusalem's status is at the core of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Trump's Dec. 6 announcement was widely perceived as siding with Israel. It also raised fears of more bloodshed.

©  The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.