Turkey Vows To Defend Palestinians After Row With Israel - Senior Official

Fahrettin Altun, the director of communications with the Turkish Presidency, conveyed on Tuesday Ankara's determination to protect the rights of Palestinians in the face of what he described as daily harassment by Israel

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th May, 2021) Fahrettin Altun, the director of communications with the Turkish Presidency, conveyed on Tuesday Ankara's determination to protect the rights of Palestinians in the face of what he described as daily harassment by Israel.

"Imagine a state that steals and occupies land. Imagine innocent civilians denied basic human rights. Imagine women, children, and elderly harassed daily. Imagine the human dignity of a people violated. We will defend Palestinian rights," Altun said on Twitter.

Invoking the religious significance of the clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians near a mosque in East Jerusalem, the official added that "Muslims will defend al-Aqsa!"

Turkish officials mostly criticized Israel for the violence in Jerusalem in recent days.

Clashes escalated on Monday, leaving multiple casualties on both sides. Turkey accused Israel of allowing excessive use of force against Palestinian protesters. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel a "terror state" on Saturday.

Jerusalem is considered one of the world's holiest sites due to its significance to the three largest monotheistic religions Christianity, Judaism, and islam. Jerusalem lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, since both consider it the capital of their respective states.