The Jerusalem Post reports: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hopes to bring together Muslim countries in Istanbul on Wednesday as part of Ankara’s response to Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This is likely to ramp up tensions in Jerusalem after the Turkish president on December 10 called Israel a “state of occupation and a terror state,” according to Hurriyet Daily News.
The Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem governor, meanwhile, called on countries that will attend the meeting to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. On December 6, Erdogan invited the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to an emergency meeting in Istanbul. Ibrahim Kalin, the president’s spokesperson, said Erdogan had spoken with PA President Mahmoud Abbas and other Muslim heads of state in Qatar, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Tunisia and Indonesia.
Ankara was outraged by the US president’s Jerusalem decision. “We will continue to stand with the oppressed. We will use every opportunity we have for our first qibla, Jerusalem,” the Turkish president said on Sunday, according to Turkish media, referring to Islamic prayers and the holy city. Turkey has accused the US of being a “partner in bloodshed,” and Turkish media have been awash with a photo of a blindfolded Palestinian teenager being led away by IDF troops.
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