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Turkish FM Çavuşoğlu blames Israeli PM of fueling discrimination

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Wednesday accused Israeli Premier Netanyahu of helplessly trying to distract attention to hide his legal troubles on charges of bribery & fraud. Turkish minister also called the latest remarks [made by Israeli PM] "pathetic and shameful", and stressing that Netanyahu had particularly been fueling discrimination and hate against non-jewish citizens to marginalise Palestinians in the region.

Anadolu Agency WORLD
Published March 13,2019
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Turkey's foreign minister on Wednesday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fueling discrimination and hate.

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said: "@netanyahu helplessly tries to distract attention to hide his legal troubles on charges of bribery & fraud. Meanwhile, he fuels discrimination and hate against citizens of Israel, let alone Palestinians. Pathetic and shameful..."

On Tuesday, Netanyahu said Israel is "a nation state not of all its citizens but only of the Jewish people".

Çavuşoğlu also responded to the words of Netanyahu's remarks about the Turkish president.

Speaking at an event in the Mediterranean province of Antalya, Çavuşoğlu said Netanyahu is attacking President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan because of his strong stance in leading his country and term presidency of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Çavuşoğlu said Israeli soldiers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem but nobody reacted against it except Turkey.

"You know, there are 57 members of the OIC. Why are they silent?" Çavuşoğlu asked.

On Tuesday, Israeli police shut the Al-Aqsa compound on claims of an arson attack on an Israeli police station near the site, triggering clashes with angry Palestinians.

Around 16 Palestinians were injured in the violence, according to Jerusalem's Religious Endowments Authority.

Israeli police said its forces had arrested 10 Palestinians, including two minors, for allegedly setting the fire.

Tension has mounted in Jerusalem since last month, when Israeli police briefly sealed the Al-Aqsa compound's Al-Rahma Gate, sparking angry Palestinian demonstrations.

In the weeks since, the Israeli authorities have banned scores of Palestinians -- including religious officials -- from entering the Al-Aqsa, which for Muslims represents the world's third holiest site.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, in which the Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.