Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday the country intends to open an embassy in Jerusalem, a response to President Donald Trump’s recognition of the holy city as the capital of Israel.
Erdogan’s comments came only a day before a potential UN vote to annul Trump’s decision.
“We have already declared East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state, but we haven’t been able to open our embassy there because Jerusalem is currently under occupation,” the Turkish president said in a speech before his AK Party.
According to CNN, Erdogan added that “the day is close when officially, with God’s permission, we can open our embassy in East Jerusalem.”
Erdogan’s speech followed an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation last week calling for the recognition of East Jerusalem as the occupied capital of a Palestinian state and challenged President Trump’s vow to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.
As a result of Trump’s announcement, Egypt introduced a UN Security Council resolution aiming to nullify his decision, affirming that “any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council.”
The United States is expected to veto the Egyptian draft resolution.
The Islamic world continues to be severely affected by Trump’s move, with thousands taking to the streets to express their revolt. Tens of thousands in Jakarta protested on Sunday, waving Palestinian flags and bearing signs with slogans such as “Donald Trump, making enem(ies) at every turn.”
Even though a number of Muslim countries reject the Trump administration as a genuine broker of peace, the White House maintains the president is still pursuing an “ultimate deal” between Israelis and Palestinians.
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