Erdogan lifts 10-year Israel cargo ban while condemning Israeli actions in Palestine

Turkish President Erdogan condemned Israel’s plans of annexing Palestinian land while a cargo plane landed in Istanbul from Israel carrying cargo for the first time in 10 years on Sunday.

Israel’s El Al airlines, the country’s flag carrier, landed in Istanbul on Sunday morning, according to a tweet from the Israeli embassy in Turkey. The tweet added that the flight will help trade between the two countries.

Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced Israel’s actions on the same day and voiced support for Palestine in the lead up to Eid al-Fitr, a holiday which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

“We will not allow the Palestinian lands to be offered to anyone else … Last week we witnessed that a new occupation and annexation project, which disregards Palestine’s sovereignty and international law, was put into action by Israel,” Erdogan said in a video message on Sunday, Turkish state news Anadolu Agency reported.

Cargo from Israel arriving in Turkey for the first time in 10 years. (Twitter)

 

“I would like to reiterate that al-Quds Al-Sharif, the holy site of three religions and our first kiblah, is a red line for all Muslims worldwide … It is clear that the global order has long failed to produce justice, peace, serenity, and order,” he added.

In April, Turkey began supplying medical equipment to Israel to help the country fight the coronavirus pandemic, Bloomberg earlier reported.