* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)
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President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the public following the Cabinet meeting in the capital city of Ankara yesterday (May 17).
Erdoğan said that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infections have been "brought under control thanks to the lockdown measures during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ended this Saturday.
"We hope that from now on, there will be no need for measures as extensive and restrictive as before," noted President Erdoğan, as Turkey began its gradual normalization from the 17-day 'full lockdown'.
He said that the government would continue to distribute financial aid to small business owners who had been severely affected by the pandemic.
He announced that 5 thousand lira will be given away to 235 thousand shopkeepers in the first group and 3 thousand lira to over 1 million 150 thousand businesses in the second group as financial aid.
Suggestion of 'three-faith commission'
As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), Erdoğan also touched upon Israel's ongoing attacks on Palestine.
"Turkey, with its entire population of 84 million, will continue to watch as events unfold in Jerusalem," he said.
President and AKP Chair Erdoğan also called on the United Nations (UN), the UN Security Council, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and other international organizations to act against the oppression of Palestinians, as well as on the issue of Jerusalem.
"At this point, we believe there is a need for a separate arrangement for Jerusalem. To achieve lasting peace and tranquility in Jerusalem, which contains the indispensable religious symbols of Muslims, Jews, and Christians, everyone must make sacrifices," Erdoğan said.
"In today's circumstances, it would be the most correct and consistent course of action for Jerusalem to be administered by a commission of representatives from three faiths. Otherwise, it does not appear that it will be easily possible to achieve lasting peace in this ancient city."
He said that "Turkey would lend its political and military support for international efforts to liberate Jerusalem and protect the Palestinian people." Accusing Israel of being a "terrorist state" and violating Jerusalem, he also said it was "ruthlessly" bombing civilians in Gaza.
"This terror state, that has encroached on the privacy of Jerusalem on the one hand, while ruthlessly bombarding civilians in Gaza and leveling a colossal building housing media groups on the other, is Israel.
"But, you are using disproportionate force, and you are dropping bombs on Gaza with your warplanes. Does Gaza have warplanes? No. Yours are countless, with which you strike," Erdoğan said.
He criticized the US, Austria
Further in his statement, Erdoğan said that "those supporting Israeli actions in Jerusalem and Gaza would go down in history as being complicit in child murder and crimes against humanity."
"The declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital by the US and other countries following it towards the end of 2017 has increased the appetite of this murderous state to spill blood," Erdoğan said.
"Those who have no interest in the deaths of Palestinian children by bombs are terrified that Israeli children are frightened by the sound of missiles. Look at this! One should remain silent when children are put to sleep, not being killed," he added further.
Erdoğan also criticized his US counterpart Joe Biden for signing an arms deal with Israel: "Today, we saw Biden's signature for the arms to Israel. And, we found that this was an approval to sell 850,000 very very important weapons. When it comes to talking, they speak of disarmament."
Referring to his recent recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Erdoğan briefly added, "Mr. Biden, you sided with the Armenians on the so-called Armenian genocide. Now, unfortunately, you are writing history with your bloody hands in these events of seriously disproportionate attacks on Gaza that have caused the martyrdom of hundreds of thousands of people."
He also condemned Austria for flying an Israeli flag from its Chancellery building: "Flying a flag of a terrorist state from an official building amounts to living under the projection of terrorism. The Austrian state seems to be trying to make Muslims pay for genocide to which it subjected Jews." (EKN/SD)
