Turkey President urges world to recognise East Jerusalem as capital of Palestine

Palestinian President said the Trump administration’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was the greatest crime and a flagrant violation of international law.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday urged the world to recognise occupied East Jerusalem as the “capital of Palestine” in response to the recognition of the city by President Donald Trump as Israel’s capital.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech at an event in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday. (AP)

“I am inviting the countries who value international law and fairness to recognise occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine,” he told leaders from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) gathered for an emergency meeting in Istanbul, saying Islamic countries would “never give up” on this demand.

Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday said the Trump administration’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was the “greatest crime” and a flagrant violation of international law.

“Jerusalem is and always will be the capital of Palestine,” he told an emergency meeting of Muslim leaders in Turkey. He said the United States was giving away Jerusalem as if it were an American city.

“It crosses all the red lines,” he said.