Israeli minister reacts to Erdoğan’s Jerusalem comments

An Israeli minister responded to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's comments on Tuesday that Turkey could go as far as breaking off diplomatic ties with Israel if the United States formally recognizes Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, a move he said would be a "red line" for Muslims.

Israeli government spokesmen had no immediate reaction, but Education Minister Naftali Bennett, a senior partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government, in an interview responded to the president’s comments calling the U.S. Israel’s “biggest and best friend today.”

"Erdoğan does not miss an opportunity to attack Israel, Israel will advance its goals, including the recognition of united Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel. Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital for three thousand years, it was never and will never be the capital of anyone else. There is always going to be someone to criticize but at the end of the day it's better to have a united Jerusalem than Erdoğan's sympathy," said Bennett.

"We expect of President Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's united capital and also to move the American embassy to our capital, that's what we expect from our biggest and best friend today," he added.

U.S. officials have said Trump is likely to give a speech on Wednesday moving its Tel Aviv embassy to Jerusalem, unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a step that would break decades of U.S. policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed concern regarding the move.

“Mr. Trump, Jerusalem is the red line of Muslims. While the wounds of Palestinians continues to bleed and attacks continue, establishing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is not only against international agreements but is also a violation of morality,” Erdoğan said.

“We will follow up on this matter with determination and it could lead to Ankara cutting diplomatic ties with Israel,” he added.

Senior Palestinian official, Nabil Shaath, said President Trump cannot hope for a "deal of the century," if he destroys the very essence of a two-state solution to the conflict by recognizing a united Jerusalem to be the capital of the state of Israel.

Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed it, declaring the whole of the city as its capital, a move not recognized internationally. Palestinians want Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

Jerusalem is sacred to both Muslims and Jews, as it includes sites known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif (The Noble Sanctuary), al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the rock, as well as an ancient Jewish temple.