Erdoğan says Trump's Middle East plan will not serve peace
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday said that US President Donald Trump's Middle East plan would not serve peace and resolution in the region. "This is a plan to ignore the rights of the Palestinians and legitimize Israel's occupation," Erdoğan told reporters on his plane returning from a trip to Senegal.
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- Published Date: 02:13 | 29 January 2020
- Modified Date: 03:41 | 29 January 2020
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lambasted a Middle East plan unveiled by US counterpart Donald Trump as "absolutely unacceptable" in comments published on Wednesday.
"Jerusalem is sacred for Muslims. The plan to give Jerusalem to Israel is absolutely unacceptable. This plan ignores Palestinians' rights and is aimed at legitimising Israel's occupation," Erdoğan said, quoted by CNN Turk broadcaster.
"The plan outlined will not serve peace or bring about a solution," he added.
Trump revealed Tuesday the long-awaited plan aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying Jerusalem would remain Israel's "undivided capital".
As part of the plan, future Palestinian statehood would be based on a series of strict conditions -- including requiring the future state to be "demilitarised."
When Washington recognised the capital of Israel as Jerusalem in 2017 and moved the embassy there, Turkish officials repeatedly criticised Trump's decision.