Turkey won't allow 'deal of century' to threaten peace: President

KUALA LUMPUR - Anadolu Agency

Turkey will never allow the peace in the region to be disrupted by the U.S.' so-called “deal of century” Mideast peace plan, said Turkey's president on Feb. 9.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks came in a statement he sent to the current 3rd Conference of the Inter-parliamentary Jerusalem Platform in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur.

In his message to the platform, Erdoğan underlined the meaning and the importance of such a conference in this critical period and added that “the so-called 'Deal of Century' [which] declares Jerusalem the capital of Israel is nothing more than a dream that threatens peace in the region. We will not allow this dream to come true.

“We do not recognize this plan, which means annexation of Palestinian lands, completely destroys Palestine, and completely seizes Jerusalem. We never accept this attempt, which accepts a two-state solution on the surface but actually means legitimizing the Israeli occupation under the mandate of the American administration.”

U.S. President Donald Trump's so-called "deal of the century" was announced on Jan. 28. It refers to Jerusalem as “Israel's undivided capital” and recognizes Israeli sovereignty over large parts of the West Bank. 

Jerusalem red line

The plan has drawn widespread criticism from the Arab world and was rejected by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which urged "all member states not to engage with this plan or to cooperate with the U.S. administration in implementing it in any form."

Leaders of the Muslim bloc reiterated a need for a just and comprehensive solution that protects the rights of Palestinians.

Erdoğan said Israel has unfairly and unlawfully reached its present borders while Palestine has been facing occupation, destruction, and suffering for years.

He said Turkey “will never remain silent on the annexation of Jerusalem or forsake its fellow Palestinian brothers in this fight.”

“I would like to stress once again that Jerusalem is our red line. As Muslim countries, our most important responsibility in this process is to protect Al-Aqsa Mosque, embrace the peace symbol Jerusalem, and defend the rights of Palestinians,” Erdoğan said.

“The policy pursued by some Islamic countries against this step, which is the beginning of a process that will affect the entire world, especially the Middle East, has created a sad picture."

Erdoğan has previously criticized some Islamic countries for sending representatives to the White House launch of the plan.