Baku, Azerbaijan, July 18
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkey considers Israel's actions against Palestinians as state terrorism, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said answering reporters' questions, according to the TRT Haber TV channel.
He also said the Islamic world must unite against the Israeli aggression.
"Turkey will never support the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people," Erdogan stressed.
He said the reports that Israel is avenging the kidnapped and murdered teenagers are untrue.
"Israel, by its actions endangers the lives of all its citizens around the world," Erdogan added.
Israel has today urged its citizens and diplomats to leave Turkey. Reportedly, the reason for such a call was the anti-Israel protests taking place in this country.
Yesterday, various Turkish cities hosted protests against Israel's military operation in Gaza. MPs from the ruling and oppositional parties of Turkey were among the protesters.
Turkish Sabah newspaper said over 10,000 people participated in the protests. It was also reported that today more than 1,000 people resumed the protests in Istanbul after the Friday prayers.
Today, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, commenting on Israel's military operation, said Israel has benefited from the split in the Islamic world and launched military actions against Palestinians.
He too called on the Islamic world to unite in the face of Israeli aggression.
Following the discovery of corpses of three abducted Jewish teenagers on July 12 in the West Bank of the Jordan River, the Israeli government accused the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that new military operations would be launched in the Gaza Strip in revenge on Hamas for the killing of the teenagers.
Earlier on July 2, the 17-year-old Muhammed Abu Khudair was kidnapped and killed in Jerusalem, which led to rocket strikes on Israeli cities from the Gaza Strip.
Then on July 8, Israel announced the beginning of a military operation dubbed "Protective Edge" in the Gaza Strip.
Edited by S.I.