Turkey’s Minister Says, "Jerusalem will be Liberated One Day"
A Palestinian woman is praying at the Al-Aqsa compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City on 5 March 2024. Photo: Collected
Turkey’s Interior Minister Mustafa Çifçi has said that Turkey will one day liberate the holy city of Jerusalem in Palestine and restore control over it.
Speaking at a ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) meeting in Çorum province on Saturday, Çepik said: “We will witness the liberation of Damascus and Aleppo, and God willing, one day we will also see the liberation of Jerusalem.”
He added, “I still believe today that God will show us those days. He will surely show them to us. I have believed this from the depths of my heart and still do. As in the past, these places will return to us again. God willing, they will come back under our rule and authority, because we have a world leader like Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.”
In response, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a strong statement on Sunday.
He said, “I am addressing Turkey’s interior minister, who dreams of and threatens to rule Jerusalem. Jerusalem is not Constantinople, nor is it a crusader empire. It is a strong and determined state that has proven its ability to defend itself against any threat.”
He claimed, “Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years and will remain the capital of Israel forever. The Ottoman Empire you and Erdoğan dream of has collapsed and will never return.”
Katz further added, “It is unfortunate that you have learned nothing from the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who worked to turn Turkey into a modern state. Instead, you are trying to drag Turkey back into an era of darkness and backwardness.”
Source: Middle East Monitor
