Israel blocks peae in mideast, says Erdogan

Calling the Palestinians’ UN membership bid a ‘symbol of peace and justice in the Mideast,’ PM Erdogan tells an Arab League summit that Israel is blocking peace. Recognition of a Palestinian state is an “obligation” rather than an option, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Egypt on Tuesday, calling on all Arab states to support Palestine’s U.N. membership bid this month. “Recognizing the Palestinian state is not an option, it is an obligation,” Erdogan said at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, the first stop on a trip that will also take him to Tunisia and Libya. “Before the end of this year we will see Palestine at the United Nations in a very different situation,” the prime minister said. “It’s time to raise the Palestinian flag at the United Nations. Let’s raise the Palestinian flag and let that flag be the symbol of peace and justice in the Middle East. Let’s contribute to securing well-deserved peace and stability in the Middle East.” Palestinians are seeking support for a U.N. membership bid they plan to launch next week despite U.S. and Israeli opposition. They are preparing to submit a formal request to become the 194th member of the United Nations when the General Assembly begins its meetings Sept. 20. Erdogan met the leader of the High Military Council of Egypt, Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and Arab League Secretary-General Nabel al-Arabi during his visit to Egypt on Tuesday before addressing the Arab League. He was scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later yesterday night. Commenting on Turkey’s dispute with Israel, Erdogan said it is “out of the question for Turkey to normalize ties with Israel” unless Tel Aviv apologizes for last year’s deadly aid flotilla raid, pays compensation to the families of its victims and lifts a blockade imposed on Gaza. “The biggest obstacle against peace in the Middle East is the mentality of the Israeli government. The Israeli people are under the blockade of the Israeli government,” Erdogan said.