Turkey to never recognize US Mideast plan: Erdogan

By Gozde Bayar and Fahri Aksut

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey will never recognize and accept the U.S.’ so-called peace plan, the country’s president said on Friday.

“This plan aims annexation of the occupied Palestine territories,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a meeting of provincial heads of his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in the capital Ankara.

Stressing that Jerusalem is a “red line” for Turkey, Erdogan said Jerusalem is the key to world peace as it has been for thousands of years.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump released his plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian dispute at the White House alongside Netanyahu, with no Palestinian officials present.

During the event, Trump referred to Jerusalem as "Israel's undivided capital."

The so-called peace plan unilaterally annuls previous UN resolutions on the Palestinian issue and suggests giving Israel almost everything they have been demanding.

Erdogan stressed that such a “rogue state” of Israel, which executes innocents on the streets, can never be credible for Turkey.

“Leaving Jerusalem entirely in Israel's bloody claws will be the greatest evil for all humanity,” he added.

- Earthquake in eastern Turkey

Seven of the injured people from the last week’s 6.8 magnitude earthquake in the eastern Elazig province remained in intensive care and their condition is out of danger, Erdogan said.

“Turkey has carried out its most rapid and effective disaster response in [the country’s] history following this earthquake,” the president added.

Stressing that the donation for the victims of the earthquake is allocated to needy people, he said the country spent a significant amount of money from the national budget.

Turkey has been hit by a series of earthquakes since the start of 2020 as a 5.4 magnitude quake jolted western province of Manisa on Jan. 22 and the capital Ankara was rattled by a 4.5 magnitude quake on Jan. 23.

The worst of the quakes took place on Jan. 24 when eastern Elazig province was hit by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake which led to the death of 41 people and injury of some 1,600 others. The tremors were also felt in neighboring countries, including Georgia and Syria.