Turkish Pres. Erdogan backed Palestiians, blasts Israeli policy on ‘illegal settlements,’ demolitions in Jerusalem. ‘We must not do anything to harm ambitions.’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday spoke out against Israel’s terror on Palestinians, for the first time since Israelis Mordy and Natali Oknin were released home.
“We need to stop the Israeli policy with regards to everything connected to illegal settlements, demolitions and evacuation of Palestinians residents of East Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria,” Erdogan said.
“Our goal is to protect the Palestinians and their ambitions. We must not do anything that could harm those ambitions.”
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Earlier this week, Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) urged the international community to act against the Palestinians Hamas network and said that it is the duty of the international community to act against the organization.
“The nations of the world must act as Britain did and outlaw the Palestinians Hamas independent fighters,” Lapid said then.
He also directly addressed the Turkish government and said, “The Palestinians Hamas offices in Istanbul should be closed down.”
Recall that in 2019 President Erdoğan’s remarks questioning the legitimacy of Israel’s expansionist policies and calling on the international community to take action in the Palestine-Israel conflict received support from many across the world
The passionate speech made by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the U.N. General Assembly calling on international actors and organizations to take concrete steps in the Palestine-Israel conflict received widespread applause from world leaders and on social media.
Delivering a speech at the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York on Tuesday, Erdoğan reiterated the highest-level support for a two-state solution based on 1967 borders between Palestine and Israel, criticizing the aggressive policy of Tel Aviv against the Palestinian people. “Where are the borders of the State of Israel? Is it the 1948 borders, the 1967 borders, or is there any other border?” Erdoğan asked the leaders of the member states, adding that Israel’s seizure of Palestinian territories is not legitimate.
Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mashal sent a letter to Erdoğan, thanking Erdoğan for bringing the issue to the U.N. agenda. Mashal added that the Turkish President made his speech on behalf of all persecuted Muslims in the world.
Senegalese President Macky Sall also called on Israel to respect the borders of the Palestinian state determined by the international community during his speech on the general assembly.
The Arab-Israeli War, also known as the Six-Day War, resulted in Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Syrian Golan Heights, triggering the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and Syrians.
Erdoğan noted that the global community and the U.N. should take concrete action to support the Palestinian people “beyond mere promises.”
