Erdogan to Pope Francis: Stop the “slaughter” of Palestinians by Israel

The imposition of sanctions on Israel Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had a telephone conversation with Pope Francis, called on the international community on Monday (17/5) to stop the “slaughter” of Palestinians.

«Unless the international community punishes Israel, which is committing a crime against humanity, with sanctions, the Palestinians will continue to be slaughtered.“Erdogan told the pope, according to a statement issued by the Turkish presidency over the phone.

THE Erdogan, an ardent advocate of the Palestinian cause, has been stepping up his talks with foreign leaders and officials for days to try to stop the massive Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip.

Fighting erupted on May 10 with a rocket-propelled grenade fired by the Palestinian movement Hamas against Israel in “solidarity” with hundreds of Palestinian protesters who were injured in clashes with Israeli police in the occupied territories. The protests were sparked by the threat of forced eviction of Palestinian families in favor of Israeli settlers.

As of May 10, 197 (198, according to Reuters) Palestinians were killed, including at least 58 children, and at least 1,200 were injured.

On the Israeli side, ten people were killed and 294 wounded by rocket fire fired from Gaza.

Speaking to the pope, Erdogan was quoted as saying by the Athenian News Agency that “the Israeli occupation force, which is blocking access to the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Holy Sepulcher Church (East Jerusalem), restricts the freedom of worship and kills atheists.” Palestinian Territories “.

“This barbarity also threatens regional security,” he added.

The Turkish president also called on the international community to “give Israel the deterrent lesson it deserves and take concrete steps in this direction.”

THE Pope Francis warned yesterday, Sunday, of a “sharp rise in deaths and disasters” in the Middle East conflict, calling the loss of innocent lives in the conflict “horrible and unacceptable”.

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