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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to cut ties with Israel if U.S. President Donald Trump recognizes Jerusalem as its capital, portending the backlash the move could cause in Muslim-majority nations.

Mr. Trump, Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims, Erdogan said in a speech at parliament in Ankara on Tuesday. This could lead us to break off our diplomatic relations with Israel.

Trump had been expected to signal his intention Monday, when he was due to decide whether to renew his signature on a waiver to keep the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv. But no action was made public, and a White House spokesman said an announcement would be made in coming days. The decision is fraught with religious and political implications with Jerusalem, home to some of the holiest ancient sites in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, also claimed by Palestinians as the capital of a future state.

Read more: Why Jerusalems Status Is a Capital Controversy

Relations between Turkey and Israel, whose alliance was once a bulwark of the U.S.s Middle East security posture, have deteriorated as Erdogan moved to redefine his country as a Muslim power and became a fierce critic of Israeli policies in the region. The two countries broke off ties after 2010, when Israeli soldiers raided a Turkish ship trying to break the embargo on the Gaza Strip. Nine Turks were killed on board and a 10th died later. The countries reestablished formal diplomatic relations last year.

Israel must advance its goals, including the recognition of a united Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel, Israels Education Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement. At the end of the day, it is better to have a united Jerusalem than Erdogans sympathy.

Other signs of displeasure with Trumps reported intentions came from Saudi Arabia and France.

The Saudis on Tuesday called the expected move unjustified U.S. bias that disrupts efforts to revive peace talks, and cautioned it could have grave consequences. French President Emmanuel Macron told Trump on Monday that the prospect of a unilateral declaration concerned him, and said the citys status must be resolved through peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Trump phoned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, a day before the expected announcement. Calls also were scheduled with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordanian King Abdullah, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

Trump told Abbas of his intention to move the embassy, and Abbas said he would seek to mobilize world leaders against it, the official Palestinian news agencyWafa reported, citing presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, appearing Tuesday at a news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, said the status of the city must be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians.

Abbass Fatah party has called for demonstrations across the West Bank and Arab world if Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israels capital.

With assistance by David Wainer, Michael Arnold, and Fadwa Hodali

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Erdogan Says He'd Cut Israel Ties If Trump Acts on Jerusalem

TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets the audience during a ceremony to mark the 16th anniversary of his ruling AK Partys foundation in Ankara, August 14.. (photo credit: UMIT BEKTAS / REUTERS)

Numerous world leaders tried on Tuesday to convince US President Donald Trump not to take any steps that would change the status of Jerusalem, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning that Ankara would cut ties with Israel if the US recognized Jerusalem as its capital.

In a move widely perceived in Jerusalem as an effort by Erdogan to be seen as a leader in the Muslim world, he said at a meeting of his AKP Party that Jerusalem was a redline for Muslims.

This could go as far as cutting our diplomatic relations with Israel. You cannot take such a step, he was quoted by the Hurriyet newspaper as saying, adding that this would not only be a violation of international law, but also a big blow to the conscience of humanity.

According to the report, Erdogan added: Has the US completed everything and only this is left?

Israel, accustomed to verbal attacks by the Turkish president, dismissed his threats, with diplomatic officials responding that Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years, and of Israel for the last 70 whether Erdogan recognizes that or not.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett noted that Erdogan does not miss an opportunity to attack Israel. But, he added, Israel must advance its goals, including the recognition of united Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel. There will always be those who criticize, but at the end of the day it is better to have a united Jerusalem than Erdogans sympathy.

Transportation and Intelligence Minister Israel Katz said that Israel does not take directives or threats from Turkey. Israel is a sovereign state and Jerusalem is its capital, Katz said. There is nothing more historically just or right than to recognize Jerusalem which has been the capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years as the capital of the State of Israel. The days of the sultan and the Ottoman Empire are over.

Israel and Turkey resumed full diplomatic relations last year, after a six-year falling out following the MV Mavi Marmara incident, in which nine Turks were killed when IDF commandos boarded a ship that was trying to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Though his tone was the most strident, Erdogan was not the only world leader to urge Trump to reconsider his plans for Jerusalem.

European leaders from Brussels, Paris and Berlin, as well as partners critical to the presidents burgeoning peace effort in Riyadh and across the Gulf, warned Trump and his cabinet officials that such a move would be counterproductive to the pursuit of peace and negatively impact any future diplomatic initiative they might have in store.

Their warnings came amid an acknowledgment by the State Department that Trumps possible moves recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, moving the US Embassy there from Tel Aviv, or both could well lead to violence in the region and at American diplomatic facilities worldwide.

Politico, a Washington-based news outlet, reported that two classified diplomatic cables had been sent to embassies in recent weeks urging preparedness ahead of a potential announcement.

While several US media outlets reported that Trump plans on announcing US recognition of Jerusalem in a Wednesday speech, others have claimed the decision has been deferred until at least next week. The White House has not confirmed that such a speech will be made.

Describing Trumps call with French President Emmanuel Macron, the White House said the two leaders discussed the path to peace in the Middle East. The lyse Palace was more descriptive.

The French president expressed his concern with the possibility that the United States might unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as capital of the State of Israel, a statement from Paris said. Mr. Macron reaffirmed that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

The French government also said that Macron and Trump agreed to revisit this issue again soon, suggesting that Macron understood Trump as undecided on the matter. Indeed, Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser, tasked with leading the administrations peace initiative, said on Sunday that Trump was still looking at a lot of different facts and report of a final decision having been made were premature.

Germanys Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel echoed Macron, calling for the matter to be determined in direct negotiations. So too did European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini, who told reporters that the issue topped the agenda of her meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

We believe that any action that would undermine these efforts must absolutely be avoided, Mogherini said. A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled.

We will discuss this further with Prime Minister Netanyahu next Monday here in Brussels, she added.

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Erdogan: Ill cut ties with Israel - Israel News - Jerusalem Post

Dec. 7, 2017 6:00 PM EST

ATHENS, Greece (AP) The leaders of Greece and Turkey publicly aired their grievances Thursday in a tense news conference as a two-day visit to Athens by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan got off to a rocky start.

The Greek government had expressed hopes that the visit the first to Greece by a Turkish president in 65 years would help improve the often-frosty relations between the two neighbors. The NATO allies are divided by a series of decades-old issues, including territorial disputes in the Aegean Sea, and have come to the brink of war three times since the early 1970s.

But from the outset, the discussions focused on disagreements.

On the eve of his visit, Erdogan rattled his Greek hosts by telling Greece's Skai television that the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne should be "updated." The treaty delineated modern Turkey's borders and outlines the status of the Muslim minority in Greece and the Greek minority in Turkey, among other issues.

In a visibly testy first meeting with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, the two engaged in a thinly-veiled verbal spat over the treaty and Greece's Muslim minority, which Erdogan is to visit Friday.

"This happened in Lausanne, that happened in Lausanne. I get that, but let's now quickly do what is necessary," Erdogan told Pavlopoulos. "Many things have changed in 94 years. If we review these, I believe that all the sides will agree that so many things have to (change.)"

The spat continued during Erdogan's appearance at an unusually candid joint news conference with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

The two listed a series of grievances their countries have with each other, including religious and minority rights, the divided island of Cyprus and the case of ten Turkish servicemen who have applied for asylum in Greece following a Turkish government crackdown after a failed coup last year.

"It is very important to strengthen our channels of communication, and this can only happen on the basis of mutual respect," Tsipras said.

The prime minister said the two also discussed tensions in the Aegean Sea, where Greece complains Turkish fighter jets frequently violate its airspace.

"The increasing violations of Greek airspace in the Aegean and particularly the simulated dogfights in the Aegean pose a threat to our relations, and particularly a threat to our pilots," Tsipras said.

For his part, Erdogan insisted once more that the Lausanne treaty needed to be reviewed, but stressed his country had no territorial claims on its smaller neighbor.

On the topic of the Muslim minority in Greece which the country recognizes only as a religious minority, while Turkey has long pressed for better rights Tsipras said his government agreed that improvements must be made in their quality of life.

"But issues that concern reforms involving Greek citizens are not an issue of negotiation between countries," he said.

Tsipras noted it was unclear exactly what Erdogan was seeking with his call to update the 1923 treaty.

"The truth is I am a little confused about what he is putting on the table," he said.

Greeks have been aghast at Erdogan's previous comments over possibly revising the Lausanne treaty, fearing that could harbor territorial claims.

Erdogan and Tsipras also sparred over Cyprus, a Mediterranean island divided since a 1974 Turkish invasion into a Turkish-occupied north and an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south. Another round of internationally-brokered peace talks to reunify the island failed earlier this year.

"Who left the table? Southern Cyprus did ... we want the issue to reach a fair and lasting solution but that is not southern Cyprus' concern," Erdogan said.

Tsipras retorted: "My dear friend, Mr. President, we must not forget that this issue remains unresolved because 43 years ago there was an illegal invasion and occupation of the northern part of Cyprus."

Erdogan also raised the issue of Athens having no official mosque, to which Tsipras responded by saying Greece had restored several mosques around the country, including a centuries-old mosque in Athens.

The refugee crisis appeared to be the only issue the two sides did not disagree on, with both noting they had shared a significant burden of the migration flows into the European Union. More than a million people crossed from Turkey through Greece at the height of the crisis.

Later Thursday, several hundred leftist, anarchist and Kurdish protesters held a peaceful march through Athens against Erdogan's visit.

On Friday, Erdogan will visit the northeastern town of Komotini to meet with members of Greece's Muslim minority.

____

Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, Derek Gatopoulos and Nicholas Paphitis in Athens contributed.

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Turkey's Erdogan heads to Athens for official Greece visit ...

Published time: 4 Dec, 2017 12:59

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Washington of attempting to bring Turkey to its knees and discredit Ankara amid several lawsuits against Turkish citizens. They can try as hard as they like but they will not succeed, Erdogan added.

Erdogans remarks come less than a week after Reza Zarrab, a 34-year-old Turkish-Iranian gold trader, pleaded guilty to conspiring to evade US sanctions against Iran. He is set to testify against a Turkish bank official, Mehmet Hakan Atilla, charged with arranging illegal transactions involving US banks. While US prosecutors have charged nine people in the case, only Zarrab and Atilla are known to be in US custody, according to Reuters. The other defendants include Suleyman Aslan, the former head of Halkbank, and Zafer Caglayan, the former economic minister of Turkey.

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Erdogan has repeatedly asked the United States to drop the case and release Zarrab, who is married to Turkish pop star Ebru Gundes. The Turkish government maintains that the case has been fabricated purely for political motives, adding fuel to the fire of the growing dispute between Ankara and Washington.

Commenting on the trial on Sunday, the Turkish president said that Washington is simply trying to discredit Turkey.

They [US] are trying to punish, judge and discredit us because we did not submit to those scenarios. The scenario and the plot are obvious and they are doing this with their co-operators in our country. They are doing it with FETO [US-based cleric Fethullah Gulens movement outlawed in Turkey]. You will not be able to deceive us, you should know that, Erdogan warned on Sunday, speaking at the provincial congress of his ruling party in the eastern province of Agri, as cited by Hurriyet.

Our nation should know that these attacks, defamations and games are not independent of each other. All are aimed at the same thing: To make Turkey kneel down and to pit us against each other. They can try as hard as they like but they will not succeed, he added.

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Erdogan warned on Saturday that Turkey could never be made to stand trial in the US.

My country can never be condemned by virtual courts set up by FETO scoundrels and fake representatives, Erdogan said during a speech in the eastern province of Kars, adding: Someone has gotten up and decided they will try my country in their rigged courts. Dont bother!

In August, a US grand jury indicted 19 people, including 15 Turkish security officials, in connection with a brawl between pro-Kurdish protesters and Erdogans security personnel in Washington, DC, which police described as a brutal attack on peaceful protesters. The incident saw several pro-Erdogan supporters push past DC Metropolitan Police to beat, kick and choke unarmed demonstrators, leaving at least 11 injured. The attack took place outside of the Turkish ambassadors residence during Erdogans visit to the United States.

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US trying to make Turkey kneel Erdogan RT World News

ANKARA (AFP)-

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is calling a summit of the main pan-Islamic body in Istanbul on December 13 to discuss the expected US move to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, his spokesman said on Wednesday.

"In the face of developments that arouse sensitivity over the status of Jerusalem, Mr President is calling a leaders' summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in order to display joint action among Islamic countries," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters in Ankara.

He said the summit meeting would take place on December 13. There was no immediate confirmation from Muslim leaders if they would come.

Turkey currently holds the chairmanship of the OIC.

The recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the moving of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem -- expected to be announced by President Donald Trump later Wednesday -- would be a "grave mistake" against international agreements, Kalin warned.

"Jerusalem is our honour, Jerusalem is our common cause, Jerusalem is our red line," he added, urging the Trump administration to "return from this grave mistake immediately".

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said the expected US move risked igniting a "fire" in the Middle East and will prove a "great disaster".

The recognition will "throw the region and the world into a fire and it's not known when it will end", Bozdag, also government spokesman, wrote on Twitter.

Bozdag said such a step which showed "great intolerance and mindlessness" would "destroy the peace process".

- 'Chaos and instability' -

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Brussels ahead of meeting US counterpart Rex Tillerson that the move is a "mistake" that "will not bring stability and peace but rather chaos and instability."

Asked whether he would bring the issue up with Tillerson, the minister said: "I have already told him and I will tell him again."

Erdogan had warned Tuesday that the status of Jerusalem is a "red line" for Muslims and could even prompt Turkey to cut ties with Israel.

The Turkish leader -- who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause -- is due to hold talks later in Ankara with Jordanian King Abdullah II who is also a strong opponent of the move.

Last year, Turkey and Israel ended a rift triggered by Israel's deadly storming in 2010 of a Gaza-bound ship that left 10 Turkish activists dead and led to a downgrading of diplomatic ties.

The two sides have since stepped up cooperation in particular in energy but Erdogan is still often bitterly critical of Israeli policy.

The United States supports a strong relationship between Turkey, the key Muslim member of NATO, and Israel, which is Washington's main ally in the Middle East.

2017 AFP

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Flash - Erdogan calls Islamic summit next week on Jerusalem ...