Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal vows to liberate Palestine, Jerusalem
"A strong Turkey means a strong Jerusalem and Palestine," Mashaal says.
By JPOST.COM STAFFKhaled Mashaal(photo credit: REUTERS)
At a meeting of Turkey’s ruling AK Party in the central Anatolian city of Konya on Saturday, senior Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal praised Turkey’s leadership for its commitment to the Palestinian plight, vowing to liberate Jerusalem.Linking the stability and state of affairs in Turkey to the plight of his own people, Mashaal said a strong Turkey meant a strong Jerusalem and Palestine, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.“A democratic, stable and developed Turkey empowers all Muslims,” said Hamas’s political bureau chief as he addressed members of the Justice and Development Party during its annual conference.Mashaal also expressed hope, that land the Palestinians want for a future state would be freed in the future, just as “in the past, Turkey has helped protect Jerusalem, al-Aksa and Palestine.”Sitting Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country views the Palestinian plight “as its own cause” and “Palestine’s land as holy as Turkish land.”The Hamas leader’s short address was punctuated by chants and cheers from a roaring crowd, some of whom waved Palestinian flags.
