Yeni Şafak and TVNET Editor-In-Chief İbrahim Karagül evaluated European and regional developments, focusing on the Jerusalem issue.
“The British plan is being implemented by the U.S. The Jerusalem issue is the first stage. The second stage is Mecca and Medina. They will create an autonomous space there. This will happen within a year or two,” said Karagül.
President Trump last week formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and initiated a plan to move the U.S.’s Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.
“There will be conflicts between Basra and the Red Sea. Hajj may not even take place in 2018. The first phase has been implemented. The next phase targets the heart of Islam. They want to carry the war to Mecca and Medina,” he added.
Karagül expressed concern regarding the stance of some Gulf countries regarding the Jerusalem issue, and called on Turkey to develop deeper ties with Egypt, Iran and Pakistan.
“The UAE, Saudi Arabia and some Gulf countries sabotaged the OIC’s Istanbul summit. They are trying to forge a security strategy under the name of moderate Islam. They are marketing this by enabling women to drive and enabling the attendance of cinemas,” Karagül said.
Israel’s Minister for Transportation and Intelligence Yisrael Katz invited Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to Israel on Wednesday, the day of the OIC summit.
“We must remove Egypt from that axis, because there are greater dangers. Threats greater than coups. Turkey, Iran and Pakistan must form close alliances. The Syrian war must end, and Iraq’s instability must be resolved,” he added.
“We must forge a Turkey axis. The Syrian war was a front established to wage war against Turkey,” Karagül stated.
Karagül also commented on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s Istanbul Declaration, dubbed Freedom for Jerusalem.
“For the first time, the OIC went beyond a condemnation. Turkey’s call was heeded. Challenging the U.S. is a laudable move. The matter has now become a showdown between the U.S. and Turkey. Turkey is resisting against the U.S,” Karagül said.
After the U.S. president declared Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan then invited leaders of over 50 Muslim nations to Wednesday's meeting in Istanbul to formulate a joint response to Trump's decision.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a declaration recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
“The conflict pushed by U.S. neocons against Turkey is a war of religion. They want to destroy the Muslim world in the 21st century. Now they are trying to legitimize the occupation of Jerusalem. Mecca and Medina are next,” he added.
