Erdogan cancels trip to Israel and calls on Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to take action
Political
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he is cancelling plans to visit Israel because of its "inhumane" war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
Erdogan called for an immediate ceasefire and said Israel "may regard Hamas as a terrorist organisation alongside the West", but Turkey takes a different view.
"Hamas is not a terrorist organisation, it is a group of mujahideen defending their land," he said to a standing ovation from members of the Turkish parliament. - We had a project to go to Israel, but it was cancelled, we will not go”.
“I invite all other countries with intelligence and conscience to put pressure on the government of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to bring the state of Israel to its senses. This time, we expect at least activity in line with its mission from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, whose founding purpose is to defend the inviolability of Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause," he said.
Erdogan said Turkey is ready to be one of the guarantors of the Palestinian side with its presence. He invited countries willing to consider the proposal to organise an International Palestinian-Israeli Peace Conference in which all influential players in the region would participate.
"No one takes seriously a structure that disdains the brutal killing of children. We are deeply upset by this image of powerlessness into which the UN has fallen," President Erdogan summarised.
Erdogan also said that the Rafah border crossing should remain open for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
"Hamas is not a terrorist organisation, it is a group of mujahideen defending their land," he said to a standing ovation from members of the Turkish parliament. - We had a project to go to Israel, but it was cancelled, we will not go”.
“I invite all other countries with intelligence and conscience to put pressure on the government of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to bring the state of Israel to its senses. This time, we expect at least activity in line with its mission from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, whose founding purpose is to defend the inviolability of Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause," he said.
Erdogan said Turkey is ready to be one of the guarantors of the Palestinian side with its presence. He invited countries willing to consider the proposal to organise an International Palestinian-Israeli Peace Conference in which all influential players in the region would participate.
"No one takes seriously a structure that disdains the brutal killing of children. We are deeply upset by this image of powerlessness into which the UN has fallen," President Erdogan summarised.
Erdogan also said that the Rafah border crossing should remain open for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
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