Israeli statement 'dirty game' before polls: Turkey

By Tevfik Durul

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish foreign minister said Monday that "a dirty game" is being played before the September polls in Israel.

Earlier on Monday, Israel’s Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz directed the ministry to formulate a package of measures to "stop Turkey’s incitement and subversion in East Jerusalem."

"A dirty game is once again being played in #Israel at election time," Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter.

"Will never give up supporting our Palestinian brothers & sisters in East Jerusalem, capital of #Palestine under occupation and defending the Palestinian cause," Cavusoglu added.

Katz announced the move in a Hebrew and Arabic tweet, saying that "more details of the plan" will be revealed later.

The announcement comes before the Israeli "Knesset" (parliament) elections slated on Sep. 17.

The Turkish government conducts a number of cultural and social activities in addition to developmental projects for Palestinian residents in occupied East Jerusalem.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, in which Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

In a move never recognized by the international community, Israel annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as the self-proclaimed Jewish state’s “eternal and undivided” capital.

International law views both the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "occupied territories" and considers all Jewish settlement-building activity there as illegal.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site after Mecca and Medina. Jews refer to the area as the "Temple Mount", claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.