The Turkish foreign ministry on Thursday expressed its rejection of the Israeli Knesset’s approval of the so-called unified Jerusalem law.
The ministry in a statement described the Israeli move as “dangerous” saying it would undermine the peace process and harm regional security.
The Turkish ministry stressed that such “illegal” steps taken by Israel violate the final statement of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit held on the 13th December 2017 and go against the international community’s will represented by the UN General Assembly resolution not to change Jerusalem’s status quo.
With 64 votes in favor and 51 against the Knesset approved on Tuesday the unified Jerusalem bill in its second and third readings. The bill stipulates that relinquishing any part of Occupied Jerusalem in the future will require the approval of two-thirds of the MKs.
This bill was one of the first Israeli decisions that followed the US president Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on 6th December 2017.
On 14th December Istanbul hosted an emergency OIC summit under the chairmanship of president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The summit was concluded by a 23-item statement that included a call for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.
In response to Trump’s decision the UN General Assembly on 21st December passed by a majority vote a draft resolution filed by Turkey and Yemen in rejection of the US move.
