Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan threw Turkey’s weight behind a Palestinian bid for statehood and criticised Israel in an address to Arab states meeting in Cairo geared to buttress his image as a leader of a region in turmoil.
Erdogan is touring Arab states to capitalise on Arab regard for Turkey’s blend of Islam and democracy as a model for movements that have toppled several Arab autocrats, and on popular Arab support for his sparring with Israel.
His destinations on the tour — Egypt, Tunisia and Libya — have all witnessed the fall of entrenched leaders to grassroots revolts this year, challenging the old order across the region.
“Erdogan, Erdogan!” cheered a group of demonstrators as the Turkish prime minister left the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo where he spoke. They were calling for change in Syria, whose military is trying to stamp out popular unrest. Displaying a populist touch, Erdogan stopped and shook the demonstrators’ hands.
He told the Arab ministers that international recognition of a Palestinian state was “not an option but an obligation.”
“It’s time to raise the Palestinian flag at the United Nations. Let’s raise the Palestinian flag and let that flag be the symbol of peace and justice in the Middle East. Let’s contribute to securing well deserved peace and stability in the Middle East,” he said.
Palestinians will bid for full membership of the United Nations later this month, a move opposed by the United States which has a veto. Arab states endorsed it at the Cairo meeting. “While Israel is trying to secure its legitimacy in our region on one hand, it is taking irresponsible steps which unsettle its legitimacy on the other,” said Erdogan, who is locked in a feud with the Jewish state, an erstwhile ally.
