Speaking at a business forum in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Thursday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his criticism of the U.S. plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza.
“Gaza belongs to our Gazan brothers and sisters and, God willing, will remain so forever,” he said. Erdoğan is a fervent supporter of the Palestinian cause and reiterated his opposition to the plan U.S. President Donald Trump suggested recently.
As he spoke about a "hopeful new period" in Syria after the fall of the Baathist regime, which would be marked with "investments, flourishing economic relations," Erdoğan said they received other "good news" from Gaza on Jan. 19, with a temporary cease-fire over the Palestinian enclave "subject to Israel's massacres for 15 months."
"Unfortunately, the cease-fire is now deadlocked as Israel failed to keep its promises. We are witnessing efforts to drive our region into bloodshed," Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan stated that it was out of the question to make the homeland of Palestinians "a bargaining chip."
"I hope a humanity alliance, particularly by the Arab and Muslim world, will not abandon Gazans in this critical period," he said.
Trump's proposal for Gaza and for moving its more than 2 million residents to Jordan or Egypt would, according to experts, violate international law, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called it "revolutionary." Hamas called for worldwide "solidarity marches" over the weekend to denounce "the plans to displace our Palestinian people from their land."
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz last week ordered the Israeli army to prepare for "voluntary" departures from Gaza. The military said it had already begun reinforcing its troops around Gaza. Trump reaffirmed his Saturday deadline for the hostage release while hosting Jordan's King Abdullah II on Tuesday.
