Erdoğan thanks Israeli Arab MKs for 'representing the Palestinian demands'
During a meeting in Istanbul, the Turkish president thanks Arab MKs for fighting against 'Israeli oppression' and says Israel's Nation-State Law is 'a breach of international law.'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Israeli-Arab MKs in Istanbul Saturday and thanked them for "representing the Palestinian demands in the Knesset" and opposing Israel's "baseless rhetoric against Turkey."
Erdoğan also praised the MKs for their steadfastness against "Israeli oppression" and the Nation-State Law, which Erdogan called "the Jewish State Law."
MK Ahmad Tibi, who attended the meeting, said Erdoğan considers the Nation State Law and the limiting of the right to sovereignty in Israel to Jews "a severe breach of international law."
Erdoğan also promised that "Turkey will never turn its back to the Palestinian people," and said it will "use all means to end the occupation and achieve peace," according to Tibi.
The Turkish president added that he "will stand by the Palestinians, even if he remains the only one standing," and called the Turks to go to Jerusalem and prey in the Al Aqsa Mosque.
MKs Ahmad Tibi and Osama Saadi (UAL-Ta’al) and Taleb Abu Arar and Masud Ganaim (Joint List), along with the head of the Islamic al-Aqsa Association Sheikh Kamal Rayan and head of the Daburiyya Local Council Zuhair Yosef met with the Turkish president to discuss the release of three Israeli Arabs who flew to Turkey for kidney transplants and were arrested for violating local laws.
The MKs said that the Turkish president "immediately understood the ordeal that transplant patients go through, and ordered ending (legal) proceedings against them" following their meeting.
The group also discussed scholarships for the growing number of Israeli-Arab students who attend university in Turkey.
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Israelis to "not be tempted to have medical procedures done abroad without first examining the legality of the matter." The ministry added that one detained Israeli woman has already been released by Turkish authorities, and that the local Israeli consul was in contact with the detainees' families.
The Turkish authorities "accepted Israeli requests to consider the detainees' medical situation and supply them with their needs," said the ministry.
