Erdoğan's statement on Palestine: 'Defending Gaza means defending Mecca and Istanbul'
President Erdoğan spoke at the opening ceremony of the 39th COMCEC Ministerial Session. Reiterating his description of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the "Butcher of Gaza," Erdoğan said, "Today, defending Gaza and Palestine means defending Jerusalem, as well as Mecca, Medina, Istanbul, Damascus, Beirut, and other Islamic lands."
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President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the opening ceremony of the 39th COMCEC Ministerial Session. Erdoğan stated, "Defending Gaza means defending Mecca and Istanbul."
Highlights from Erdoğan's statement are as follows:
"The butcher of Gaza, Netanyahu, will be tried. We must also begin preparations for the reconstruction of Gaza. We must take a clear stance against policies of depopulation. I want to remind the Israeli leadership of this: Gaza is Palestinian territory. Gaza belongs to the Palestinians and will remain so. As the Islamic world, it is our duty to ensure that not a single inch of Gaza is left to the occupying Israel. We must do this for our own territorial integrity as well. We know that those who occupy Gaza today will set their sights on other places tomorrow. The butcher of Gaza, Netanyahu, has revealed that the issue is not just Gaza or Ramallah, but that he is pursuing expansionist goals. Today, defending Gaza and Palestine means defending Jerusalem, as well as Mecca, Medina, Istanbul, Damascus, Beirut, and other Islamic lands. If we wait for the fire to reach our own hearth, that fire will one day come to our homes."