No peace in Palestine with Israel continuing its occupation: Turkish official

A high-ranking Turkish official says there will be no peace in Palestine unless Israel ends its occupation of the Palestinian territories.

“The problem is the (Israeli) occupation and without ending it, there will be no peace, no security, no prosperity for anyone. Thanks to the irresponsible and populist policies of (US President Donald) Trump and (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu administrations, peace has never been as far away as it is today,” Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin wrote in an article published in the English-language Daily Sabah newspaper.

He added, “Muslim countries, Europeans, Africans, Asian nations and Latin American countries must come together to stop the downward spiral of blatant violations of international law by Israel and the unjust treatment of  Palestinians.”

Kalin then condemned the relocation of US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds, saying the move has “undermined any remaining hope for a two-state solution”, calling it “the last nail in the coffin”.

The senior Israeli official also censured the recent massacre of tens of Palestinians during anti-occupation protest rallies along the border between the Gaza Strip and occupied territories, accusing European and US media outlets of not “telling the truth.”

“The headlines read 'Dozens killed in Gaza’ and none of them referred to the Israeli brutality and willful killing, as if the Palestinians died of some sort of natural disaster or epidemic,” Kalin pointed out.

“Just imagine how the world would have reacted if the 62 people killed on May 14 were Israelis rather than Palestinians,” the Turkish presidential spokesman questioned.

At least 65 Palestinians were killed and more than 2,700 others wounded near the Gaza fence on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), which coincided this year with the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the occupied city of Jerusalem al-Quds.

The occupied territories have witnessed new tensions ever since US President Donald Trump on December 6, 2017 announced Washington's recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s “capital” and said the US would move its embassy to the city.

Muslim leaders have called for an international force to be deployed to protect Palestinian people against Israeli crimes.

In a final communiqué issued following an emergency meeting in Istanbul on Friday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned the May 14 massacre of dozens of Gazans as "savage crimes committed by the Israeli forces with the backing of the US administration."

It also urged the UN to "form an international investigation committee into the recent atrocities in the Gaza Strip, and enable the committee to initiate field investigation."

The OIC further demanded "the international protection of the Palestinian population including through dispatching of international protection force" in the face of "unchecked crimes" committed by the Te Aviv regime.

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