Women protest for Jerusalem's freedom in SE Turkey

By Muslum Etgu</p> <p>SANLIURFA, Turkey (AA) – A group of women in southeastern Turkey has been protesting the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel for almost a year.</p> <p>Members of “Kudüs Anneleri Platformu” — Jerusalem Mothers Platform in English — gather in southeastern Sanliurfa province in every Saturday to stage demonstrations for the freedom of Jerusalem.</p> <p>The group — who gather at the mosque courtyard and read a press statement following the afternoon prayer — aims to continue the protest until the liberation of Jerusalem.</p> <p>In December 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump sparked international outcry when he unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocated the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018.</p> <p>Zehra Kazan, the spokeswoman of the platform, told Anadolu Agency that the group had been meeting in support of the Palestinian mothers and women for 50 weeks.</p> <p>&quot;Our biggest dream is to pray with the mothers in Palestine after the soils of Jerusalem and Palestine are freed,” she said.</p> <p>The gathering, Kazan said, aims to create an awareness into the Palestine cause.</p> <p>Women are voluntarily gathering to show their support for Palestinians, she added.</p> <p>&quot;We will continue to resist and gather here every Saturday until Palestine is freed,&quot; Kazan said.</p> <p>Jale Karabulut, a member of the platform, said that they taken some steps to read their 52nd press statement to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential complex.</p> <p>Jerusalem remains at the heart of the perennial Mideast conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem — occupied by Israel since 1967 — might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state</p> <p>International law continues to view East Jerusalem, along with the entire West Bank, as &quot;occupied territory&quot; and considers all Jewish settlement construction there to be illegal.