Women protest for Jerusalem's freedom in SE Turkey

By Muslum Etgu

SANLIURFA, Turkey (AA) - A group of women in southeastern Turkey has been protesting the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel for almost a year.

Members of “Kudüs Anneleri Platformu” -- Jerusalem Mothers Platform in English -- gather in southeastern Sanliurfa province in every Saturday to stage demonstrations for the freedom of Jerusalem.

The group -- who gather at the mosque courtyard and read a press statement following the afternoon prayer -- aims to continue the protest until the liberation of Jerusalem.

In December 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump sparked international outcry when he unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocated the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018.

Zehra Kazan, the spokeswoman of the platform, told Anadolu Agency that the group had been meeting in support of the Palestinian mothers and women for 50 weeks.

"Our biggest dream is to pray with the mothers in Palestine after the soils of Jerusalem and Palestine are freed,” she said.

The gathering, Kazan said, aims to create an awareness into the Palestine cause.

Women are voluntarily gathering to show their support for Palestinians, she added.

"We will continue to resist and gather here every Saturday until Palestine is freed," Kazan said.

Jale Karabulut, a member of the platform, said that they taken some steps to read their 52nd press statement to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential complex.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the perennial Mideast conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state

International law continues to view East Jerusalem, along with the entire West Bank, as "occupied territory" and considers all Jewish settlement construction there to be illegal.