Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asserted he plans to move Turkey's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to eastern Jerusalem -- which Palestinians claim must be their capital in a future Palestinian state -- the Washington Times website reports today (December 19, 2017).
"God willing, the day is close when officially, with God's permission, we will open our embassy there," Erdogan said, noting that Turkey's Israeli ambassador and consulate general offices are already based in Jerusalem.
Erdogan's assertion comes roughly one week after he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and several other Muslim leaders to refute President Trump's decision to recognize all of Jerusalem as the official Israeli capital and to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the holy city.
Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital has ignited anti-U.S. sentiment and violence in the Middle East. It also prompted Abbas to declare that Washington has abdicated its role as the main arbiter of peace in the Middle East.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment