Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Credit: AFP)
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday urged the United States to "revise" its decision to deny visas to members of the Palestinian Authority to attend the U.N. General Assembly this month.
A U.S. official on Saturday said that Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas was among 80 officials from his authority who would be denied visas to attend the U.N. General Assembly, where France is leading a push to recognize a Palestinian state.
The highly unusual decision further aligns President Donald Trump's administration with Israel's government, which is fighting a war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.
Israel adamantly rejects calls for the creation of a Palestinian state and has sought to lump together the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority with its rival Hamas, which rules Gaza.
Speaking to Turkish journalists on the plane back from China after attending a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Erdogan said the U.S. decision was "not in line with the raison d'être" of the United Nations.
"We believe that the decision should be revised as soon as possible," he added.
Erdogan, a vocal defender of the Palestinians, has often slammed Israel for its war on Gaza, accusing the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing "genocide" in the Palestinian territory.
No respite for south Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, despite the announcement of a cease-fire
Lebanese Army gradually deploys in Dibbin as Israeli troops withdraw
