Turkey says Trump's Mideast plan aims to legitimize occupation of Palestine
ANKARA-Anadolu Agency
Turkey's National Security Council (MGK) on Jan. 30 said that the U.S.’s peace plan aims for the Middle East aims to legitimize "occupation, destruction, and oppression" of Palestine and Jerusalem.
"The only solution is the establishment of independent Palestine on the basis of 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," the council said in a statement issued following its meeting.
The MGK, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, convened on Jan. 30 in the capital Ankara.
After the MGK meeting, Erdoğan echoed the council's remarks, saying the peace plan is an “occupation project."
"Jerusalem is not for sale," Erdoğan said during an awards ceremony late on Jan. 30.
Condemning the plan, the president said, "Jerusalem is a red line for us."
On Jan. 28, U.S. President Donald Trump released his much-hyped plan to end the Israel-Palestine dispute at the White House with Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu by his side.
There was, however, no Palestinian representative at the announcement, which saw Trump referring to Jerusalem as "Israel's undivided capital."
Call for measures in Syria
The council stressed the importance of taking further measures against terrorism in various parts of Syria, especially Idlib.
Regarding the ongoing tension between the U.S. and Iran, the council reiterated the call for a “common sense” and “clear-headedness”.
Earlier this month, Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' (IRGC) elite Quds Force, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad.
His death marked a dramatic escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which have often been at a fever pitch since Trump chose in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw Washington from a 2015 nuclear pact world powers struck with Tehran.
Khamenei, who bestowed the country's highest honor on Soleimani last year, vowed "severe retaliation" in response to his killing. Iran's IRGC launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against U.S. military and coalition forces in Iraq.
Support for Libya’s UN-backed government
Turkey will continue to support the U.N.-recognized government to achieve peace and stability in Libya, the council said.
It reiterated that all countries are invited to support efforts to establish a permanent cease-fire in Libya.
The MGK also condemned the attack in Somalia where Turkish citizens were among casualties.
On Dec. 28, at least 85 people were killed, including two Turkish nationals, and over 150 others wounded in a suicide truck attack in Mogadishu claimed by the al-Shabaab terrorist group.
