'I left my heart in Turkey'

By S.Ahmet Aytac

ANKARA

Invited to address a recent rally in Turkish capital Ankara in support of Jerusalem, Rashad al-Juneidi, the uncle of a Palestinian minor who has become the symbol of protests in support of the holy city, has hailed the Turkish support for the Palestinian cause.

"When I return to Palestine, I will say 'I left my heart in Turkey'," told Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview.

"Ever since I came to Turkey, I feel like I'm still in Palestine," he said. "The Turkish people are so excited and sensitive about free Jerusalem and Palestine."

Al-Juneidi addressed a pro-Jerusalem rally on Sunday, organized by Turkey's Memur-Sen and Hak-Is trade unions, IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, the Anatolian Youth Association, and the Cihannuma and ONDER foundations.

"I have seen once more the sensitivity of the Turkish people towards Palestine. I hope other countries will take Turkey as a model," he said.

"This has given me hope to keep fighting at home until Palestine is completely free," he said.

Al-Juneidi's nephew, Fawzi al-Juneidi, 16, was arrested in the West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil) earlier this month after being dragged on the ground and blindfolded by a dozen heavily-armed Israeli soldiers.

The photo of the blindfolded boy has since become a symbol of ongoing Palestinian protests against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

'Our children mistreated'

Al-Juneidi said Fawzi had to drop out of high school to take care of his family.

"Both of his parents are disabled," he said. "He is the sole breadwinner for his seven-member family. He had to drop out of school and find work to meet his family’s needs."

He recalled Israeli assaults against his nephew during his detention.

"They slammed him into the ground, put their boots on his body and blindfolded him before taking him into custody," he said. "His face was bleeding. He kept crying for help but nobody helped him."

On Monday, Israeli prosecutors asked to extend al-Juneidi's detention.

"They [Israeli authorities] don't let his family see him, they don't even let his lawyer see him," the uncle said.

"His and his family's pain and sufferings continue. He can’t even stand up because he was beaten so badly."

Al-Juneidi said he accepted the interview offer "to tell the world how our children are being mistreated under the [Israeli] occupation".

"I thank Anadolu Agency for this as well," he said.

Turkish support

Al-Juneidi thanked the Turkish people for their support for the Palestinian cause.

"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statements and efforts [in this regards] are very much appreciated by Palestinians," he said.

"After Trump's Jerusalem decision, Erdogan said Trump had made a terrible mistake and this made us so happy. He renewed our hope," he said, adding the Palestinians saw Erdogan as "the only leader who has not abandoned the Palestinian people".

The U.S. policy reverse on Jerusalem has sparked a wave of protests across the Arab and Muslim world, as well as worldwide condemnations.

At an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held last week in Istanbul, participants responded to the U.S. move by formally recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967-- might eventually serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.