Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked Pope Francis to support sanctions against Israel, saying Palestinians will continue to be "massacred" as long as the international community does not punish Israel.
During a telephone telephone call Monday with the pope, Erdogan also said that "continued messages and reactions" from Francis in support of Palestinians would be of great importance for the "mobilization of the Christian world and of the international community," according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications directorate.
During their conversation, Erdogan also renewed a call for the international community to take concrete steps to show Israel the "dissuasive reaction and lesson it deserves," according to the statement