Erdogan, German, Palestinian leaders talk Jerusalem

By Zehra Aydin

ANKARA

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday evening spoke separately with his German and Palestinian counterparts about Jerusalem, sources close to the president told Anadolu Agency.

Erdogan spoke with Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Palestine's Mahmoud Abbas about the much-criticized U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The conversations came on the heels of Thursday’s landmark UN General Assembly vote overwhelmingly rejecting the U.S. move on Jerusalem.

On Dec. 6, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital despite worldwide opposition. The decision sparked angry demonstration across the Muslim world.

Following a UN Security Council resolution that would have passed unanimously but for a U.S. veto, the General Assembly passed a resolution spurning the U.S. move, 128-9.

General Assembly votes are not subject to vetos.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top Turkish officials have been at the international forefront opposing the U.S. move, through sponsoring the UN resolution and calling an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, among other measures.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem might eventually serve as the capital of an independent state of Palestine.