Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today criticised Islamic countries for being helpless during the Israeli military operation on the Jenin refugee camp.

"It is shameful and unIslamic that all we Muslims can do when the Israelis massacred the Palestinians in Jenin is to appeal to others for pity and for help," Mahathir said.

Mahathir was speaking during the second-day of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting attended by Islamic affairs ministers and officials from its 57 member states. The meeting ends Wednesday.

The Palestinians have accused the Israeli army of massacring civilians in a nine-day assault on the camp. Israel says it killed 52 Palestinians, most of them gunmen, while losing 23 of its own men in fierce fighting.

The 76-year-old outspoken leader said, "Muslims have not been doing anything to change their own helplessness and they do not deserve to be helped by Allah."

"To be very crude, the fate of the Muslims today is of their own making."

Mahathir attacked the OIC, saying that the Islamic body had not achieved anything significant.

He said Muslims talk about Islam but do not follow its teachings: "A lot of us talk about Islamic brotherhood and then we kill each other."

Inflamed by sufferings

Mahathir said the hearts and minds of Muslims had been inflamed by the continued sufferings of the Palestinians and warned that terror activities would flourish under this climate of anger.

"That is frankly my belief. Today the anger is much greater than after the Sept 11 because Israel took the opportunity to attack Palestinians on the excuse that they are terrorists," he told reporters.

Mahathir labeled Israeli military action as state terrorism, a worse form because it is sanctioned by a legitimate government.

"They have killed so many people in Jenin and refuse to allow the United Nations to inspect the camp," he said, warning that terrorism would grow if Muslim anger and discrimination against them was not resolved.

"They may be innocent today and terrorists tomorrow. You have to remove the causes," he said.

Mahathir again lashed out at the terror attacks on the US, and suicide bombers: "Why do they explode bombs on their bodies and why do they crash aircrafts against the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, killing themselves and many innocent people?," he asked.

Yet, he also expressed sympathy for the Palestinian suicide bombers.

"While I criticise suicide bombers, I also point out that these people have no choice. Nobody is helping them. In desperation they have carried out their attacks," he said.

Besides the Palestinian crisis, the conference will discuss ways to promote Islam, missionary activities and Islamic banking.