Muslims will not back down from rights over East Jerusalem, says Turkish president

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday pledged Muslims would never back down from their rights over East Jerusalem, vowing continued support for Palestinians under Israeli attacks.

“We will not allow Jerusalem to be defiled by unholy hands, though I know the resentment of Hitler admirers may never truly fade,” Erdogan said at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Turkish Foreign Ministry building in Ankara.

He emphasized the pride of belonging to a nation that carried the banner of Islam for centuries and served Jerusalem for 400 years with honor. He noted that under Muslim rule the city became a place of peace and coexistence, where the rights of Christians and Jews were also respected.

Türkiye’s struggle for Jerusalem to become a city of peace, security and harmony continues without pause or retreat, Erdogan said. He reaffirmed Ankara’s commitment to an independent, sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Erdogan described Jerusalem as a spiritual center dear to all Muslims, alongside Mecca and Medina.

“No one can prevent us from standing by the oppressed people of Gaza who are struggling to survive under Israel's brutal attacks,” he said.

He vowed Türkiye would “stand firm today and tomorrow against those who seek to turn our region into a sea of blood, and those who fuel instability in our geography.”

The president also said Ankara would remain in full solidarity with those targeted by Israeli banditry, from Syria to Yemen, from Lebanon to Qatar.

“Those who believe they can build a secure future with oppression, and genocide at the cost of innocent children's lives will drown in the blood they have shed,” he added.

Referring to Israel, Erdogan said: “Terror — whether by group or state — is a mental paralysis and the region’s bloody paralysis will be broken.”

Türkiye’s push for peace

Erdogan said the region faces new crises daily but Türkiye manages these challenges with determination and without compromising national interests.

He underlined Ankara’s efforts to foster stability and cooperation from the Balkans to Central Asia, Africa to Latin America, and Europe to the Asia-Pacific.

“Türkiye believes in a world where not the strong, but the rightful are powerful, and it is working toward making that world a reality,” he said.

He listed Turkish foreign policy priorities as preserving stability, promoting peace, expanding prosperity and strengthening bonds of brotherhood.

Erdogan said Türkiye supports allies in defense, economic development and protection of their rights and interests on international platforms.

Pride of state

Highlighting the Foreign Ministry’s long history, Erdogan called it an institution that has been the “pride of our state for centuries, with its long-standing tradition.”

“Our Ministry, which has held a unique position within our state organization throughout history, is also our country's gateway to the world,” he said.

He described the new building as a modern symbol of Türkiye’s global stance, adding it would become one of Ankara’s landmarks with its ecological and aesthetic design.

The complex, he said, would bring together the memory, present and future of Turkish diplomacy under one roof.