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Updated May 17th, 2021 at 16:14 IST

Turkey's Erdogan dials Pope Francis, urges to help end Israel-Palestine conflict

Erdogan underlined that Pope’s continued messages and reactions concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict will help mobilize the international community.

Reported by: Bhavya Sukheja
Erdogan
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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In a phone call on May 16, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Pope Francis to help end the ongoing tensions between Israel and Palestinians. According to the Turkish media outlet Daily Sabah, Erdogan underlined that Pope’s continued messages and reactions concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict will help mobilize the international community as well as the Christian world. 

The Turkish President went on to even reportedly say that an “atrocity” is being committed in Palestine and Israel is answerable to not only the Palestinian people but the whole of humanity, including Christians and Muslims. Erdogan highlighted that Israel is blocking access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and limiting freedom of worship, which is undermining honour while also endangering regional security. Further, the Turkish leader stated that all of humanity must unite in face of Israel’s “illegal and inhumane” practices that also violate the status of Jerusalem. 

Israel-Palestine conflict

Meanwhile, airstrikes between Israel and Gaza have killed 42 Palestinians, injured several others and flattened at least three residential buildings. As per official figures, at least 192 people including 58 children and 34 women, have been killed in the Gaza Strip. Israel, on the other hand, has reported 10 dead, including 2 children.

Netanyahu has pledged that Israel’s campaign in Hamas Islamist-run Gaza was continuing at “full force”. He even defended the attacks on the Gaza tower housing The Associated Press and Al Jazeera bureaus and said that it was a “legitimate target” as it also hosted a Palestinian “terrorist” intelligence office.  While speaking to CBS News, Netanyahu said that an “intelligence office for the Palestinian terrorist organisation” was housed in the Gaza building that plots and organises the terror attacks against Israeli civilians.

On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded for an immediate end to the outbreak of deadly Israeli-Palestinian violence and warned that the fighting could plunge the region into an "uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis”. On the same day United Nations Security Council also met in a bid to discuss the violence, however, they failed to agree on even a joint statement of concern. US President Joe Biden, on the other hand, dialled both sides and discussed the violent outbreak with Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas separately. 

(Image: AP) 

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Published May 17th, 2021 at 16:14 IST

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