Turkey recalls US, Israel envoys over embassy move

Turkey has recalled its ambassadors to the US and Israel to protest the Donald Trump administration's decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a media report said on Tuesday.

"Turkey has recalled ambassadors in Tel Aviv and Washington for consultations," Hurriyet Daily News reported quoting Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag as saying on Monday in Ankara following a cabinet meeting.

Israeli security forces on Monday killed at least 55 Palestinians during mass protests along the Gaza border, marking the deadliest day of violence there since a devastating 2014 cross-border war.

"Today will go down in the history as Bloody Monday for Muslims and Islamic countries," Bozdag said, also adding that "the US has violated UN Security Council decisions by opening its embassy in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said the country has declared a three-day national mourning. "We declare a national mourning for three days, starting tomorrow, to stand in solidarity with our Palestinian brothers," Erdogan said, addressing students in London.

"Israel is a terror state," the President reiterated.

Labeling the killings as "genocide," Erdogan also said a big rally is set to be held on May 18 in Istanbul as a sign of solidarity.

In a show of anger fueled by the embassy move, protesters set tires on fire, sending plumes of black smoke into the air, and hurled firebombs and stones toward Israeli troops across the border.

The relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv, a key campaign promise of President Donald Trump, has infuriated the Palestinians, who seek east Jerusalem as a future capital.

--IANS

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