Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced Israel as a “cruel terrorist state” in a speech in Ankara in which he promised to stand with his ‘Palestinian brothers’ in the face of on going aggression from the US-backed Israeli junta.
Erdogan’s remarks came on Saturday after more than 200 people were wounded when Israeli forces violently attacked Palestinians who were observing their evening prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound late on Friday.
No fewer than 24 Palestinians including children have lost their lives while the number of those who sustained various degrees of injuries have increased to over 300 as at the time of filing this report on Tuesday.
‘Cruel terrorist state’
“Israel, the cruel terrorist state, attacks the Muslims in Jerusalem – whose only concern is to protect their homes … and their sacred values – in a savage manner devoid of ethics,” Erdogan said.
The violence in Jerusalem was “an attack on all Muslims”, he said, adding that “protecting the honour of Jerusalem is a duty for every Muslim”.
He urged all countries, in particular Muslim countries, to react and called on the United Nations to “stop this persecution”.
Earlier on Saturday, Erdogan took to Twitter to condemn the violence.
He wrote in Turkish, saying he “invite[s] the whole world, especially the Islamic countries, to take effective action against Israel’s attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem and Palestinian homes.”
Going further, Erdogan, who emerged the Global Muslim Personality of the Year wrote in Hebrew, to strongly condemn the “heinous attacks” in Masjid Aqsa, adding that he would stand with his “Palestinian brothers.”
אנו מגנים בחריפות את ההתקפות המתועבות של ישראל נגד הקיבלה הראשונה שלנו מסגד אל אקסא , המתרחשות למרבה הצער, בכל חודש רמדאן.
כטורקיה, אנו נמשיך לעמוד לצד אחינו ואחיותינו הפלסטינים בכל הנסיבות.
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) May 8, 2021
Erdogan also tweeted in Arabic and linked the Israeli attacks to Ramadan, suggesting that Israel does this every year.
“We strongly condemn the abominable attacks against the Al-Aqsa mosque… which are unfortunately carried out every Ramadan,” he wrote, referring to the Muslim month of fasting
“We will continue to be at the side of our Palestinian brothers and sisters in all circumstances,” Erdogan pledged.
ندين بشدة الاعتداءات السافرة التي تقوم بها إسرائيل تجاه قبلتنا الأولى #المسجد_الأقصى في كل رمضان مع الأسف.
ونحن في تركيا سنواصل الوقوف بجانب إخوتنا الفلسطينيين في جميع الأحوال والظروف.
— رجب طيب أردوغان (@rterdogan_ar) May 8, 2021
Around 300 people demonstrated on Saturday outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul in support of the Palestinians in Jerusalem.
Relations have been strained between Turkey and Israel ever since, with ambassadors being withdrawn in 2018 after the deaths of Palestinian protesters in the enclave.
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