Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called for Islamic countries to unite against what he labeled as the “growing threat of expansionism” from Israel.
His remarks came after Palestinian and Turkish officials reported that Israeli troops had killed a Turkish-American woman during a protest against settlement expansion in the West Bank.
“The only way to halt Israeli arrogance, banditry, and state terrorism is through an alliance of Islamic countries,” Erdogan stated during an event near Istanbul.
Erdogan stated that Turkey’s recent moves to enhance relations with Egypt and Syria are intended to “form a line of solidarity against the growing threat of expansionism,” which he claims also affects Lebanon and Syria.
This week, Erdogan met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Ankara, marking the first presidential visit in 12 years, to discuss the Gaza conflict and further mend their historically strained relationship.
Relations began improving in 2020 as Turkey sought to ease tensions with regional rivals, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
In July, Erdogan indicated that Turkey would invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for discussions aimed at mending ties, which were cut off in 2011 after the Syrian civil war erupted.
Israel did not instantly respond to Erdogan’s statements on Saturday.
Regarding Friday’s incident, the Israeli military mentioned it was investigating claims that a foreign woman “was killed due to gunfire in the area,” with details of the event still being examined.
There was no fast reaction from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
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