Turkey says Trump's Mideast plan aims to legitimize occupation of Palestine

Turkey's National Security Council (MGK) on Jan. 30 said that the U.S.'s peace plan aims for the Middle East aims to legitimize "occupation, destruction, and oppression" of Palestine and Jerusalem.

"The only solution is the establishment of independent Palestine on the basis of 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," the council said in a statement issued following its meeting.

The MGK, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, convened on Jan. 30 in the capital Ankara.

After the MGK meeting, Erdoğan echoed the council's remarks, saying the peace plan is an "occupation project."

"Jerusalem is not for sale," Erdoğan said during an awards ceremony late on Jan. 30.

Condemning the plan, the president said, "Jerusalem is a red line for us."

On Jan. 28, U.S. President Donald Trump released his much-hyped plan to end the Israel-Palestine dispute at the White House with Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu by his side.

There was, however, no Palestinian representative at the announcement, which saw Trump referring to Jerusalem as "Israel's undivided capital."

 Call for measures in Syria

The council stressed the importance of taking further measures against terrorism in various parts of Syria, especially Idlib.

Regarding the ongoing tension between the U.S. and Iran, the council reiterated the call for a "common sense" and "clear-headedness".

Earlier this month, Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' (IRGC) elite Quds Force, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad.

His death marked a dramatic escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which have often been at a fever pitch...