By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Turkey's prime minister has accused Israel of using "disproportionate force" in its attacks in the Gaza Strip that have killed nearly 70 Palestinians in two days.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the attacks are killing "children and civilians" and that the attacks can have "no humanitarian justification."
Turkey is Israel's closest ally in the Muslim world and has offered to mediate for Middle East peace. But Erdogan said Sunday that Israel was rejecting a "diplomatic" solution to the dispute.
A total of 54 Palestinians were killed in fighting Saturday, the highest single-day death toll in more than seven years of violence. Two Israeli soldiers were also killed.