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ISTANBUL: Turkey strongly condemned the agreement between Israel and Bahrain to normalize relations, describing it as a “new blow” to the Palestinian cause.
US President Donald Trump announced the “peace agreement” between Israel and Bahrain on Friday, making it the second Arab country to reach an agreement with its former enemy in less than a month.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said late Friday that Ankara was “concerned” about the move and “strongly condemned” the deal.
“The step will be a further blow to efforts to defend the Palestinian cause and will further embolden Israel to continue its illegal practices towards Palestine and its attempts to make the occupation of the Palestinian territories permanent,” the ministry said in a statement. .
He said the move was contrary to commitments under the Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for Israel’s complete withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories after 1967, and the Organization for Islamic Cooperation.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a pious Muslim, is a staunch defender of Palestinian rights and has frequently criticized Israeli policies in the West Bank.
After last month’s agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, Erdogan warned that Turkey could suspend diplomatic relations with the Gulf state in response.
