Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has fired a warning at the United States and said it was a ‘partner to bloodshed’ after Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel sparked violence.
Erdogan bitterly opposes Trump’s decision and has sought to mobilise the Muslim world against it, calling a summit of Islamic countries on December 13 in Istanbul.
The Turkish president, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, said the ‘struggle’ of Muslims would not end until there was an independent Palestinian state.
‘They will never be able to clean the blood,’ he said in a speech in Ankara.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has harshly criticized Israel and the United States over the US stance on Jerusalem
Erdogan bitterly opposes Trump’s decision and has sought to mobilise the Muslim world against it, calling a summit of Islamic countries on December 13 in Istanbul
Protests continue to be held across the world following the controversial decision. These female masked members of the Palestinian Al-Quds Brigades demonstrated in Gaza City
‘With this recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, it (the United States) has become a partner to this bloodshed. We do not recognise this decision, we will not,’ he added.
Turkey had high hopes for relations under the Trump presidency, but ties have frayed with rows over the Syria conflict, a New York legal case and now Jerusalem.
Erdogan said that the current ‘vandalism and cruelty’ in Jerusalem would not last. ‘Those who think they own Jerusalem today will not find trees to hide behind,’ he said.
Trump’s move has ignited protests across the Islamic world and deadly violence in the Palestinian territories.
He said Wednesday’s summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul would be a ‘turning point’ on the issue.
And on Monday Hezbollah said it will refocus its efforts on fighting the Palestinian cause in the wake of Trump’s decision.
Trump’s move has ignited protests across the Islamic world and deadly violence in the Palestinian territories
Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had traded verbal blows at the weekend, with the Turkish leader describing Israel as a ‘terrorist state’ that kills children
Erdogan bitterly opposes Trump’s decision and has sought to mobilise the Muslim world against it, calling a summit of Islamic countries
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, called on the group and its allies in the region to present a ‘united front’ against Israel.
His announcement came as thousands of the group’s supporters took to the streets of Beirut chanting ‘Death to America!’ and ‘Death to Israel!’ while carrying banners that read ‘Jerusalem, Eternal Capital of Palestine’ and ‘Jerusalem is Ours’. Nasrallah had called for the demonstration last week.
The marches, along with fresh violence in the West Bank and Gaza, came after Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech to EU diplomats in Brussels saying Trump’s declaration had ‘made peace possible.’
Hezbollah has announced it will refocus its efforts on fighting the Palestinian cause after Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel (pictured, anti-Trump banners at a Hezbollah march in Lebanon on Monday)
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the group in Lebanon (pictured on Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV) made the announcement as thousands took to the streets of Beirut in a day of protests against Trump
Nasrallah (whose picture, right, was carried through Beirut along with a portrait of former Hezbollah military leader Imad Mughniyeh) had called for the protests on Sunday
Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had traded verbal blows at the weekend, with the Turkish leader describing Israel as a ‘terrorist state’ that kills children.
Hours later Netanyahu hit back, calling his counterpart a leader who bombs Kurdish villagers and supports terrorists, during an official visit to Paris.
However Erdogan did not refer to Netanyahu in his latest speech.
Last year, Turkey and Israel ended a rift triggered by Israel’s storming in 2010 of a Gaza-bound ship that left 10 Turkish activists dead and led to a downgrading of diplomatic ties.
The two sides have since stepped up cooperation, particularly in energy, but Erdogan has repeatedly been bitterly critical of Israeli policy.