Erdogan vows to mobilise world to stop Israeli 'terror'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed Monday to mobilise the world to stop Israeli "terror".
ISTANBUL (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed Monday to mobilise the world to stop Israeli "terror", in phone calls placed to Palestinian leaders during a surge in violence in Jerusalem.
More than 300 people were reported wounded in clashes Monday between Palestinians and Israeli police at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound.
The clashes are the latest in days of the worst such disturbances since 2017 and came ahead of a planned march to mark Israel s 1967 takeover of the holy city.
Erdogan placed separate calls to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to denounce Israel s actions and extend support.
The Turkish leader pledged "He will do everything in his power to mobilise the world, starting with the Islamic world, to stop Israel s terror and occupation," his office said.
Erdogan, who has long cast himself as the champion of the Palestinian cause, had on Saturday branded Israel a "cruel terrorist state".
Relations between Israel and Turkey have been strained since a Turkish NGO oversaw a flotilla of ships that tried to break Israel s blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2010.
Hundreds of people demonstrated in support of Palestinians on Sunday evening outside Israel s consulate in Istanbul.
The Turkish police did not intervene despite a ban on large public gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic.
Erdogan s sharp criticism contrasts with months of speculation that Turkey and Israel were looking for ways to normalise ties and re-appoint ambassadors to each other s capitals.
Turkey is seeking to mend fences with its rivals in the Middle East, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia -- a drive that gained momentum after Joe Biden became US president.
In December, Erdogan drew a red line, saying closer relations with Israel were impossible if the Jewish state pursued its current policies in the Palestinian territories.
"That s the point at which we disagree with Israel," Erdogan said at the time.
