Erdogan threatens to examine economic ties with Israel
On backdrop of diplomatic crisis between Ankara and Jerusalem, Turkish president backs decision made by Organization of Islamic Cooperation to boycott Israeli products, says his country will look into its economic and commerce relations with Jewish state after upcoming presidential and parliament elections in Turkey.
Erdogan made the comment while speaking to reporters on a flight from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Turkey.
The Turkish leader addressed the issue following a decision made by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to boycott Israeli products. "I hope the organization's member states implement the decision," Erdogan said. "After all, there will no longer be a way to receive products from them. Naturally, we will also assess our relations, mainly the economic and commerce relations, with Israel. We'll take steps after the elections."
Erdogan noted that the OIC had pressed the United Nations to establish a peacekeeping force that would protect the Palestinians, like the force that was active in Kosovo and in Bosnia and Herzegovina several years ago.
"We believe the establishment of such a peacekeeping force will deter Israel and stop it from firing at UN forces," Erdogan said.
Representatives of the 57 OIC member states discussed the riots on the Gaza border last week, which left more than 60 Palestinians dead.
'Nuclear-armed states threatening the world'
On Monday, Erdogan accused countries with nuclear weapons of "threatening the world", and criticized the United States' withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
"Those who have more than 15,000 nuclear warheads are currently threatening the world," he said, referring to the approximate total number of warheads worldwide, most of which are held by the United States and Russia.
Apparently referring to such states as Iran, he added: "Why are countries with nuclear warheads posing a threat to them?"
"If we are to be fair, to show a just approach, then the countries with nuclear weapons, which portray nuclear power stations as threats, have no credibility in the international community," he said at an iftar dinner for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Erdogan said the Middle East had to be cleansed of all nuclear weapons, in an apparent reference to Israel, believed to be the only nation in the region to possess them.
US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States 10 days ago from the deal between Tehran and six major powers which limited Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. Trump ordered that sanctions be reimposed.
Earlier on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanded Iran take additional steps such as pulling out of the Syrian civil war.
Iran dismissed Washington's ultimatum and a senior Iranian official said it showed the United States was seeking "regime change" in Iran.
The US withdrawal from the nuclear deal comes as relations between NATO member Turkey and Washington have soured over a host of issues, ranging from US policy in Syria to Trump's decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
France, Germany and Britain have said they will try to save the nuclear deal with Tehran.
"As Turkey, we do not accept re-igniting issues, including the Iran nuclear deal, that have been put to bed. We find the other signatories stating their loyalty to the agreement in the face of the US administration's decision very positive," Erdogan said.
'Israeli actions would put Nazis to shame'
On Friday, Erdogan compared the actions of Israeli troops in Gaza to Nazi Germany's treatment of Jews in World War II.
"The children of those being subject to all sorts of torture in concentration camps during World War Two are now attacking Palestinians with methods that would put Nazis to shame," Erdogan said shortly after addressing a rally of thousands of people in support of Palestinians.
The international community "must stop watching the massacres from the bleachers" and send "an international peace force to the people of Palestine, who are losing their young children to Israeli terror every day," Erdogan said, comparing the proposed deployment to peacekeeping forces sent to Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s.
Erdogan also urged member states and others to prevent Israeli products produced in "illegal Israeli settlements" from entering their markets.
The Turkish president's calls were backed by Muslim leaders, who on Friday urged an international force to be deployed to protect Palestinians after dozens of protesters were shot dead by Israeli forces on the Gaza border this week.
At a special summit in Turkey convened by Erdogan, they also pledged to take "appropriate political (and) economic measures" against countries that followed the United States in moving their Israel embassies to contested Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, a move they described as a "provocation and hostility against" the Islamic world.
Erdogan, who is campaigning for re-election next month, used the summit to verbally attack Israel.
He also castigated the United States, saying its decision to move its embassy had emboldened Israel to put down the protests at the border with Gaza with excessive force. Most countries say the status of Jerusalem - a sacred city to Jews, Muslims and Christians - should be determined in a final peace settlement between Israel and Palestinians and that moving their embassies now would prejudge any such deal.
The final declaration of the meeting of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation described the killing of 60 Palestinians, protesting the embassy move on Monday, as "savage crimes committed by the Israeli forces with the backing of the US administration."
It said the violence should be put on the agenda of the UN Security Council and General Assembly, and called on the United Nations to investigate the killings.
The Islamic organization also told its members to fall in line and "commit to voting for our common cause" of Jerusalem or risk punitive measures. Turkey's foreign minister had criticized certain members for voting against, abstaining from or not showing up for a United Nations motion in December - some 128 countries overwhelmingly supported the UN against Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
The summit was attended by Jordan's King Abdullah, a US ally whose Hashemite dynasty is custodian of Muslim sites in Jerusalem.
Abdullah said the US decision five months ago to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital had "weakened the pillars of peace ... and deepened the despair that leads to violence."
Before the summit, Erdogan slammed Islamic countries that failed what he termed "the Jerusalem test," saying "all we Muslims do is condemn" and not unite. Erdogan said Muslim countries were "severe, intolerant and unconscientious" to each other and "toothless and cowardly" to unspecified enemies. He later struck a more conciliatory tone.
Erdoğan, along with the Palestinian prime minister, was speaking to hundreds of thousands waving Palestinian and Turkish flags at an Istanbul rally dubbed "Curse Oppression, Support Jerusalem." He told the rally that the responsibility to defend Jerusalem lay with them as crowds chanted "Chief, take us to Jerusalem."
A populist with roots in political Islam, Turkish Erdoğan has described Israel as "terrorist state."
The violence in Gaza led to Turkey and Israel expelling each other's senior diplomats this week. Erdoğan has also traded barbs on Twitter with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel, however, was the 10th-largest market for Turkish exports in 2017, buying some $3.4 billion of goods, according to IMF statistics.
"We have excellent economic ties with Turkey. And these relations are very important for both sides," Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon told Israel Radio on Friday when asked if Israel should break ties with Turkey.
The plight of Palestinians resonates with many Turks, particularly the nationalist and religious voters who form the base of support for Erdoğan, who has been in power for 15 years.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
