Turkey condemned on Wednesday the U.S. administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“We condemn the irresponsible statement of the U.S. administration declaring that it recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and it will be moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu wrote on his Twitter account.
“This decision is against international law and relevant UN Resolutions,” he added.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry also issued a statement on the U.S. announcement.
“We condemn the irresponsible statement of the U.S. administration that we learnt with great concern, declaring that it recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and it will be moving the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem,” the statement read.
The statement said the decision is against international law and relevant UN Resolutions, as the annexation of Jerusalem by Israel has been rejected by the international community and the UN.
“It has been recurrently emphasized by various UN Resolutions that the Palestinian question can only be settled through the existence of an independent, sovereign and the contiguous State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“It is unacceptable that the U.S., a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council, ignores this fact. Attainment of independence by Palestine is a historical, conscientious and human obligation. Turkey will continue to advocate this,” the statement added.
It further stated that the decision will have negative reflections on the peace and stability in the region and also bears the risk of completely destroying the grounds for peace.
It called on the U.S. administration to reconsider “this faulty decision which may result in highly negative outcomes and to avoid uncalculated steps that will harm the multicultural identity and historical status of Jerusalem”.
“These developments regarding Jerusalem will be taken up extensively at the OIC [Organisation of Islamic Cooperation] Leaders’ Summit and the Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting that will be held on 13th December 2017 in Istanbul upon the call made by H.E. President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan as the Summit Chair of the OIC,” the statement concluded.
Turkey’s EU Minister Omer Celik also denounced the move, calling it a “provocation”.
“Trump and Netanyahu’s decision, which will put the world to face fresh conflicts, to overcome their political difficulties is totally provocation to hopes of peace,” Celik tweeted.
“The whole world must condemn Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem,” Celik underlined.
He noted that Jerusalem and the Palestinian people “will never be left alone”.
“This is a decision that should be embarrassed politically and morally,” Celik said adding: “Trump has made a heavy attack on all peace efforts in the Middle East. He also publicly declared that he did not recognize international law,” with the decision.
Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag also said the U.S. and its president who made this decision will be the first responsible for any kind of negative developments in the region afterwards.
President Erdogan has shown ‘strongest’ opposition to US plan to recognize city as Israel’s capital, Palestinians say
Turkish parties reject US plan on Jerusalem
The Turkish parliament issued a joint declaration on Wednesday against the U.S. move recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
The declaration stated the “Turkish Parliament’s certain and undisputed will to reject this adventurous intention” of the U.S.
“The U.S. which has long remained committed to solving the Palestinian question, and bringing peace and stability to the region as an arbiter, and it represented its mission in this way to the world,” the declaration read.
The parliament voiced its concerns over the move, adding, the U.S. move would trigger a series of developments, clashes and new human dramas.
Unless a fair, long-lasting peace between Palestine and Israel, which is respectful of historic and spiritual values, is formed, there cannot be peace for humanity in the region, it added.
All political parties represented in the parliament put their signature on the declaration.
The decision places the U.S. at odds with the rest of the world — excluding Israel — reversing decades of American policy and could stymy any effort to resume long-stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, according to most analysts.
Thousands across Turkey protest Trump’s Jerusalem move
Thousands of people across Turkey took to the streets to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Several NGOs and civil society groups, including the Anatolian Youth Association (AGD) and Turkish Youth Foundation (TUGVA), gathered city centres in every corner of the country to protest the move.
Many NGOs led by the AGD Istanbul branch staged a demonstration at the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul and chanted slogans against President Donald Trump and the U.S. and carried posters and banners supporting the Palestinians.
The TUGVA also organized another protest at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul as they called on Muslims to unite against the decision.
Another protest was held in Ankara in front of the U.S. Embassy building, where a statement was read stating the Palestinian crisis was a basic issue of all Muslims.
Similar protests were also held in almost every Turkish province, including Konya, Bursa, Antalya, Mugla, Manisa, Adana, Bartin, Karabuk, Samsun, Yozgat, Malatya, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Sanliurfa, Sirnak and Diyarbakir.
