Erdogan Urges Muslim Unity On Palestinians Ahead Of Summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday urged the Islamic world to show greater unity in supporting the Palestinians, saying Muslim leaders had failed to overcome divisions to oppose Israel's "tyranny"

Istanbul, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th May, 2018 ) :Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday urged the Islamic world to show greater unity in supporting the Palestinians, saying Muslim leaders had failed to overcome divisions to oppose Israel's "tyranny".

Erdogan addressed thousands in Istanbul at a rally he personally called, hours ahead of an emergency meeting of Islamic leaders he is also hosting over the killing of Gaza protesters this week. The Turkish strongman has reacted with unbridled fury to the killing by Israeli forces on Monday of some 60 Palestinians on the Gaza border as well as the move of the US embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

"The time has come to stand against Israel's tyranny," Erdogan told a sea of protesters waving Turkish and Palestinian flags. "I invite all Muslims and all humanity to take action... against those who drag our region and the world into catastrophe with their religious fanaticism," he added.

In a hard-hitting speech before Erdogan's address, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Israel was "imitating Hitler and Mussolini" by occupying Palestinian territory and disregarding international law.

- 'Test for Islamic world' - Erdogan is hoping the extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will be able to bridge divisions in the Islamic world to take a strong stance against Israel.

He said the Muslims had too often given a "shy and cowardly" image to their foes and failed to sort out internal disagreements. Describing the issue of Jerusalem as a "test", he said: "If we need to speak clearly, the Islamic world failed in the Jerusalem test." This is the second emergency OIC meeting Erdogan has hosted in the space of half a year after the December 2017 summit, also in Istanbul, that denounced US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

A draft summit communique calls for "international protection for the Palestinian people" and condemns Israel's "criminal" actions against "unarmed civilians". The text also accuses the US administration of "encouraging the crimes of Israel", according to participants in the summit.

However, as in 2017, disputes between the OIC's key players -- notably between Sunni kingpin Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran -- may prevent the adoption of any measures going beyond harsh rhetoric.

Riyadh -- which appears to have softened its stance on Israel as the influence of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has grown -- and its allies fear alienating the United States with tough measures against Tel Aviv.

Saudi's chief foreign policy preoccupation, shared with Israel, is ensuring US backing to contain Iran which both Riyadh and the Jewish state see as the main threat to regional peace. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will attend, state media said, and overcoming the enmity between Tehran and Riyadh will be crucial for the Turkish hosts.

Jordanian King Abdullah II will be present although the Palestinians are being represented by prime minister Rami Hamdallah and not president Mahmud Abbas who this week had surgery on his ear. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir will be at the Istanbul summit but not their heads of state.

As in the November 2017 meeting, a controversial guest will be Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted on charges of genocide and war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC). - 'Fight against Zionism' - Erdogan has long craved a role as a Muslim leader within the entire Islamic world, rarely holding back with tirades against Israel even though Ankara has diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

Tensions with Israel and hosting such a meeting also does Erdogan no harm with his core supporters as Turkey heads to presidential and parliamentary polls on June 24. In a diplomatic crisis threatening a 2016 deal that allowed the resumption of full ties, Turkey has ordered the Israeli ambassador to leave for an unspecified period of time over the killings.

At the rally, Erdogan said he "differentiates between Zionists and Jews" and added that "our main fight is against Zionists and Zionism". He also called on Israelis themselves to take action against their government's policies, saying "we believe a people who were victims of the Holocaust will not give consent to the crime against humanity committed by their own state".