Turkey will send 500,000 dollars and medical supplies to the Palestinian administration in response to appeals for urgent aid following deadly clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians, the Turkish foreign ministry said Wednesday.
"The Turkish government has decided to help the friendly and brotherly Palestinian people with 500,000 dollars and medical supplies and medicines on the list of urgent needs announced by the Palestinian administration," the statement said.
The ministry also expressed concern over the "extremely regretful" flare-up of violence in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel, which has claimed more than 60 lives, mostly Palestinian, since Friday.
Turkish officials had contacted Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israel's acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami and urged them to avoid moves that might raise tension in the region and hamper peace efforts, the statement said.
Predominantly Muslim Turkey has been Israel's main regional ally since 1996 when the two countries signed a military cooperation deal much to the anger of most Arab nations and Iran.
But Turkey also has close ties with the Palestinians, with whom it maintains fully-fledged diplomatic ties - ANKARA (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
