Turkish president calls Israel 'terror state'

JERUSALEM – Turkey's president has escalated his vitriol over the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, calling Israel a "terror state."

In a speech Sunday in central Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "Israel is a terror state." He called Israeli forces "terrorists," referring to a photograph of a blindfolded Palestinian youth being led away by more than a dozen soldiers in the West Bank.

"We won't leave Jerusalem to the mercy of a child-murdering country," Erdogan said, accusing Israel of having no values other than "occupation and plunder."

Erdogan said Turkey would continue its diplomatic efforts to reverse President Donald Trump's announcement, which he calls "null."