Turkish foreign minister pledges never to abandon Palestinian cause

ANKARA

Türkiye's foreign minister on Friday lashed out at Israeli forces' latest attacks against Palestinians and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, vowing to stand with Palestine and its cause.

"We are upset but also angry as we are sad about Israel's attacks," Mevlut Cavusoglu said in the central province of Eskisehir at an iftar event, a special fast-breaking meal for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Calling the attacks "reckless," Cavusoglu stressed that such incidents went against humanity and conscience.

He said Türkiye reacted "strongly" to the attacks, citing a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen.

Cavusoglu also announced that Türkiye called for an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address the matter and that the ministers of member states would convene soon.

"We call on the Islamic countries from here. Let's take a more determined step and prevent these attacks against our brothers and sisters (in Palestine)," he added.

On Wednesday, Israeli police said they detained 350 Palestinians from the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, with witnesses saying they used excessive force, including tear gas.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.

On the war in Ukraine, Cavusoglu said the world out its trust in Türkiye "to end this war permanently as soon as possible."

Stressing that there would be no winners of the war on the ground, he affirmed that Türkiye would make every effort to stop the fighting.

Türkiye, internationally praised for its mediator role between Ukraine and Russia, has repeatedly urged Kyiv and Moscow to end the over year-old war through negotiations.