Turkey, Egypt slam Israel on Gaza strike

PM Erdoğan and Egypt’s Morsi join each other in berating Israel over its Gaza raids ahead of an Arab League meeting to address the issue, Hurriyet reports.

International calls have put Turkey and Egypt at the center of efforts for an immediate truce between Hamas and Israel with an intense diplomatic campaign including talks with the United States, Russia and the United Nations on the eve of the Cairo Summit which will focus on preventing ongoing armed conflict from turning into a new war.

In the third day of the Israeli Operation Pillar of Defense, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Nov. 16 both slammed Israel for the operation and expressed full support and solidarity with the Palestinians. The Arab League will convene in Cairo on Nov. 17 to specifically discuss Israeli operation in which Erdoğan and Morsi are also likely to deliver a speech. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will also be present at the meeting.

In response to questions from reporters after performing Friday prayer at an Istanbul mosque, Erdoğan said the latest Israeli attack against Gaza is one of the most brutal attacks seen against Palestine.