Turkish FM speaks up for Jerusalem at UN

By Sibel Ugurlu, Satuk Bugra Kutlugun and Kubra Chohan

ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday spoke up for Jerusalem at the UN in New York.

"Today, we will speak up for Jerusalem, the city of three divine faiths," he said at a UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session.

Cavusoglu also said it is “unethical to think the votes and dignity of member states are for sale”.

"You can be strong, but this does not make you right," he said. "A UN member threatened all other members. We were asked to vote no or face the consequences," Cavusoglu said.

Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital violates international law and relevant UN resolutions, Cavusoglu said.

"Turkey will never let Al-Quds down. The Palestinian people will never be left alone. The world is bigger than five," he said.

The UN’s 193-member General Assembly is voting on a proposed resolution rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s Dec. 6 decision to recognize the city as Israel’s capital -- a move that has drawn condemnation from across the Arab and Muslim world.

Unlike the UN’s 15-member Security Council, the U.S. does not have veto power in the General Assembly.

International law views the West Bank -- including East Jerusalem -- as “occupied territory” and considers all Jewish settlement building on the land to be illegal.

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.