Jeddah, April 5 (IANS/WAM): The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Iyad Ameen Madani has welcomed the Palestinian leadership's decision to sign letters of accession to 15 international organisations, treaties and conventions.

In a statement issue Friday, Madani described this decision as a remarkable step and said it has the support of the OIC.

The secretary general drew the attention of the OIC member states' representatives in New York and Geneva to the need to mobilise support for this decision, emphasising that Palestine is entitled to that right after the recognition by the UN General Assembly and that it would mean more support to the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

The OIC secretary general also condemned Israel's decision approving the construction of 708 new settlement units in the occupied city of Al-Quds, the Islamic name for Jerusalem.

He explained that the decision to proceed with the construction of settlements in conjunction with Israel's refusal to release the fourth group of Palestinian prisoners demonstrates Israel's insistence to continue to defy the will of the international community and international legitimacy resolutions.