Turkey to continue defending Palestinian cause
ANKARA-Anadolu Agency
Turkey's foreign minister on Sept. 15 vowed to defend the just cause of Palestinians till the end.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu's statement came after an emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The meeting followed comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on applying Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea if he wins the Sept. 17 elections.
"Those who feel uncomfortable about our statement today, brutally & indiscriminately massacre our Palestinian brothers & sisters, viciously use state terrorism before the eyes of the world and even attempt to shamelessly attack our President. Will defend this just cause till the end!" Çavuşoğlu said in a tweet.
Roughly 70,000 Palestinians -- along with some 9,500 Jewish settlers -- currently live in the Jordan Valley, which is a large, fertile strip of land that accounts for roughly one-quarter of the West Bank's overall territory.
Turkey, Arab League and European countries said they were concerned by Netanyahu's annexation statement, with UN secretary general’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric saying the annexation plan would violate international law.
International law views both the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "occupied territories" and considers all Jewish settlement-building activity there as illegal.
Çavuşoğlu meets Palestinian, Jordanian counterparts
Çavuşoğlu on Sept. 15 held bilateral meetings with his Palestinian and Jordanian counterparts.
The meetings with Palestine's Riad al-Malki and Jordan's Ayman Safadi were held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference.
Çavuşoğlu met al-Malki amid comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of applying Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea if he wins the Sept. 17 elections.
"Discussed w/my brother FM Riad Malki of #Palestine latest regional developments, particularly #Israel's reckless aggression. #Turkey will continue to uphold the Palestinian cause in every forum and always support the Palestinian people," Çavuşoğlu said in a tweet after the meeting.
Çavuşoğlu later held a bilateral meeting with Safadi.
"Met w/FM @AymanHsafadi of #Jordan. Will continue to strengthen our cooperation w/Jordan through our joint efforts not only in our bilateral relations but also in the defense of the Palestinian cause," Çavuşoğlu tweeted after meeting.
