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FILE IMAGE: AFP Photo/Nazeer al-Khatib

The Turkish military operation in Syrias Idlib province is almost finished, Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

The operation in Idlib was largely completed, Erdogan toldhis ruling Justice and Development (AK) Partys parliamentary group.

The president added thatthe Afrin issue is ahead of us.

We can come suddenly at night. We can suddenly hit at night, Erdogan said.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) entered the province of Idlib within the framework of agreements reached at peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The TAF was set to monitor a cease-fire and to establsih observation posts along the line between the Syrian areas of Idlib and Afrin.

Turksih forces were deployed south of an area of Afrin controlled by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military formations known as YPG and YPJ. The US-led coalitiondescribes the Kurdish forces and few Arab units joined them as the Syrian Democratic Forces.

In turn, Ankara says that the PYD/YPG/YPJ are a branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that is a designated terrorist gorup in many countries including Turkey, the US and EU member states.

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Erdogan: Turkey's Operation In Idlib Largely Finished, Afrin ...

The idea of moderate Islam was invented by the West and is being used to weaken the ancient religion, Turkeys President Recep Erdogan has said in reference to Saudi Arabias reforms, while also lashing out at the EUs discrimination of Muslims.

Last month, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, vowed to restore moderate Islam to the kingdom considered to be "home" of the religion. The Gulf monarchy currently follows a Salafist or Wahhabi version of Islam that is often described as being "ultraconservative" and administered through Islamic Sharia law. In what appears to be a direct reference to Saudi Arabias Crown Prince, Erdogan denounced a moderate interpretation of Islam in a speech delivered at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Womens Advisory Council on Friday.

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The term moderate Islam is being lathered up again. The patent of moderate Islam belongs to the West. There is no moderate or immoderate Islam; Islam is one. The aim of using such terms is to weaken Islam, Erdogan said in Ankara.

Perhaps the person voicing this concept thinks it belongs to him. No, it does not belong to you, he added, recalling, that he was asked about moderate Islam at meetings in the European Parliament many years ago.

The thrust of Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030, is to socially transform the Wahhabi brand of Sunni Islam, which bans gender mixing, concerts and cinemas. Starting in the summer of next year, women in Saudi Arabia will be permitted to drive. In the new year, women would also be allowed to attend sporting events as the monarchy continues to usher in its liberalization reforms.

Last month the Prince unveiled a plan to construct a $500-billion state of the art city across its borders into Jordan and Egypt. The new mega-city is to be erected with the aim of diversifying the Arab countrys economy andreducing its dependency on oil.

Riyadhs reforms have been accompanied by a massive anti-corruption drive, which saw a purge of the kingdoms political and business elite, including 11 princes. The kingdoms closest ally, the US, has welcomed the campaign, with President Donald Trump saying those arrested had been milking their country for years.

READ MORE: 11 Saudi princes, 4 ministers arrested as crown prince unleashes crackdown on corruption

They say we will return to moderate Islam, but they still dont give women the right to drive. Is there such a thing in Islam? I guess they will give this right when they turn to the moderate one, Erdogan noted Friday.

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The Turkish president also lashed out against the EU for approving a series of so-called burka bans introduced in recent years, calling it a discrimination against Muslim women.

"Headscarves are gradually being banned in EU states with the public - personal space trick, attempting to bar Muslim women from entering social life. Attempts to incarcerate Muslim women in their homes is spreading like a virus," Erdogan said.

Traditional Islamic head and face coverings have long been controversial in Europe, where they are often seen as incompatible with secular values. France became the first European country to impose a ban on full-face coverings in 2011. Belgium followed suit shortly thereafter. German MPs approved a partial ban on full-face veils this April, saying its the countrys duty to present itself in an ideologically and religiously neutral manner. Austrias parliament also endorsed a package of measures that outlaws distribution of the Koran and wearing traditional Islamic full-face veils in public.

"Those who are teaching us lessons on human rights are unfortunately applauding as the most basic human rights are being trampled in their countries," said Erdogan.

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Erdogan rejects moderate Islam as a Western tool to weaken ...

Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday described Israel as a "state of occupation" which used "terror" against the Palestinians, as he stepped up his criticism of the US recognition of Jerusalem as its capital.

Erdogan has been bitterly opposed to the decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem and has called a summit of Islamic countries on December 13 in Istanbul.

"Israel is a state of occupation," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul, referring to Israel's continued occupation of the West Bank and settlement building.

"And now they are making use of terror and are bombing young people and children," he said.

Retaliatory Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip killed two militants from Palestinian Islamist group Hamas before dawn, bringing to four the number killed since Trump announced the move.

Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause and an opponent of any perceived global injustice against Muslims, described Jerusalem as the "apple of our eye" and a "red line" for Muslims.

He said that the American decision was "null and void" for Ankara.

"Trump seeks to move forwards by saying 'there we go, I did it, it's done!'. I'm sorry but... being strong does not give you such a right."

"The leaders of major countries have a mission to make peace. Not unleash conflicts.

Erdogan on Saturday continued to play a central role in diplomatic efforts in the crisis, telephoning French President Emmanuel Macron and Lebanese President Michel Aoun, the presidency said.

Last year, Turkey and Israel ended a rift triggered by Israel's 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, particularly in energy, but Erdogan has repeatedly been bitterly critical of Israeli policy.

Last week he warned that Turkey's reaction "could go as far as" cutting relations with Israel, but he made no reference to this in his latest speech.

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Erdogan steps up attacks on 'state of occupation' Israel

May 16, 2017: President Donald Trump welcomes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House in Washington. (AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the Trump administration on Tuesday that recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital is a red line for Muslims.

Erdogan, while speaking to Parliament, said such a step by President Trump would force Turkey to cut off all diplomatic ties with Israel. He pledged to rally other Muslim countries to oppose any move to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital.

The White House has been considering recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel despite growing calls from the Middle East and Europe to reconsider the move. The possible recognition might come this week.

Turkey is among the latest nations to publicly voice their opposition to the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State, with some saying it will hinder the possibility of the peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians and will be an insult to the Muslim world.

The Palestinian leadership said Tuesday that they will stop contacts with the U.S. if Trump goes forward with the change. Palestinian officials also called for mass protests in the event of the recognition.

The Organization for Islamic Cooperation, an umbrella organization of Muslim countries, said Monday that the move would constitute naked aggression against the Arab and Muslim world.

In Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron told Trump during a telephone call on Monday that he was concerned about the plan and asked to reconsider the move, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Mr. Macron reaffirmed that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, particularly those relating to the establishment of two states, Macrons office said.

The opposition surrounds East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967 after Arab nations launched an all-out attack against the state, the home of a large Muslim population. Both Israel and Palestinian leaders see Jerusalem as their countrys rightful capital.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Lukas Mikelionis is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter@LukasMikelionis.

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Erdogan: Recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital is red ...

Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey's leader is seeking to spearhead Islamic reaction to the US declaration on Jerusalem, but it is uncertain if he can coordinate a meaningful response among often disunited Muslim nations.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, had fulminated against President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital even before it was officially announced this week.

Erdogan described the status of the city, whose eastern sector Palestinians see as the capital of their future state, as a "red line" for Muslims.

With Trump disregarding such warnings, the Turkish president used his position as the current chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to call a summit of the pan-Islamic group.

"He is seeking to garner an international response," said Ziya Meral, resident fellow at the British Army's Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research, noting Erdogan had spoken to Muslim allies and non-Islamic leaders.

"What Turkey can do tangibly next is far from clear and responses have risks for Erdogan and Turkey," he told AFP.

- 'Exacerbate the malaise' -

Turkey in 2016 agreed to resume full diplomatic relations with Israel after the crisis triggered by the deadly storming by Israel of a Turkish ship seeking to break the Gaza blockade in 2010.

Cooperation has resumed, most significantly in energy. But Erdogan has rarely mustered much public enthusiasm for ties with Israel and retains warm relations with Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls Gaza.

Erdogan's supporters proudly recall how he famously walked out of a January 2009 debate in Davos with then Israeli president Shimon Peres, complaining he was not given enough time to respond and repeatedly saying "one minute!".

The Turkish leader has left diplomatic niceties aside in warning his US counterpart of the dangers of the move, using the backyard-style rhetoric he usually keeps for bitter enemies.

"Hey Trump! What do you want to do?" Erdogan said Thursday. "What kind of approach is this? Political leaders do not stir things up, they seek to make peace!"

Bulent Aliriza, director of the Turkey Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it was unclear if Erdogan's strong reaction would have any impact on Trump.

"What is clear is that the Jerusalem issue will inevitably exacerbate the malaise in the US-Turkish relationship, which was already under considerable strain."

Trump's arrival as US leader was welcomed by Ankara but relations have hit new trouble due to rows over the Syria conflict, an explosive legal case in New York and even a mutual visa suspension.

Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Erdogan's Islamic-rooted ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) shares an "ideological affinity" with Hamas.

This suggests "Erdogan can never be an honest broker on the Israeli-Palestinian issue," he said.

- 'Flag bearer for Muslim alliances' -

The Istanbul summit of the OIC -- an organisation founded in 1969 after an arson attack on the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem -- will offer Erdogan the chance to showcase his status as a global Muslim leader.

But it remains unclear if he will be able to come close to shifting the 57 members -- including arch foes like Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia --- into anything resembling a coordinated position.

"Turkey... will seek a prominent role in coordinating Muslim reactions to the US move," wrote analysts Ofer Zalzberg and Nathan Thrall of the International Crisis Group (ICG).

But they added most leaders in the Gulf, Egypt and elsewhere are "likely to make do with rhetorical expressions of opposition" and were unlikely to risk sacrificing good relations with the US.

Crucially watched will be attendance from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's Egypt -- a bete noire of Erdogan -- and Gulf kingpin Saudi Arabia which is under the sway of powerful crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Under Erdogan's rule, Turkey has sought an enhanced role for the OIC. Thanks to his backing Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu -- who later stood against Erdogan in presidential elections -- was secretary general of the Jeddah-based group from 2004-2014.

"Turkey has attempted to be a flag bearer for Muslim alliances for the last 12 years to very limited outcomes," said Meral of the British Army's Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research.

"OIC is a weak entity with very little shared agenda and commitment to shared causes," he said, adding a better option to help the Palestinians would be to work more closely with EU and Western nations who have criticised the move.

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Turkey's Erdogan seeks to lead Muslim response on Jerusalem