(Ynet) Eldad Beck - Just one week before upcoming parliamentary elections in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and officials in his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) found a unique way to try and secure a victory at the polls by calling for the "liberation" of Jerusalem. Erdogan drew a straight historical line between the capture of Jerusalem from the crusaders by Saladin in 1187 to the capture of Constantinople in 1453 to the elections in Turkey due to take place next week. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu recently dedicated a new airport in the south of the country, naming it after Saladin. According to Davutoglu, "It's a name that says to the Kurds, to Turkey, and to the Arabs, yes, this is our leader. It's a symbol that unites us," he continued. "All those who claim that Jerusalem is the Jews' holy city should be ashamed."
2015-06-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive