ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Muslim countries must form an alliance to fight what he called the “growing threat of expansionism” from Israel.
He made the comments after describing what Palestinian and Turkish officials say is the killing by Israeli forces of a Turkish-American woman who participated in Friday's protest against the expansion of settlements in the Israeli-controlled West Bank.
“The only step that will stop the arrogance of Israel, the looting of Israel and the terrorism of the Israeli state is the alliance of Muslim countries,” Erdogan said at an event for the association of Islamic schools near Istanbul.
He said recent steps taken by Turkey to improve relations with Egypt and Syria were aimed at “building a line of solidarity against the growing threat of expansionism,” which he said also threatened Lebanon and Syria.
Erdogan hosted Egyptian President Adel Fattah al-Sisi in Ankara this week and discussed the war in Gaza and ways to further mend their long-strained relationship during the president's first such trip in 12 years.
Relations between them began to thaw in 2020 when Turkey began efforts to ease tensions with various regional rivals, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Erdogan said in July that Turkey would extend an invitation to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “at any time” for possible talks to restore relations between the two neighbors, who severed ties in 2011 after the Syrian civil war broke out.
Israel did not immediately comment on Erdogan's speech on Saturday.
The Israeli military said after Friday's incident it was looking into reports that a foreign woman “was killed by gunfire in the area. The details of the incident and the circumstances under which she was hit are being reviewed.
There was no immediate comment on Friday's incident at the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
