Palestinian scholars blast Arab League statement

ISTANBUL

The Palestine Scholars Association in the Diaspora on Monday decried a recent Arab League statement condemning Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria, reiterating support for the Turkish campaign.

"We are following Turkey's Operation Peace Spring to defend its security in the face of factions that control part of the Syrian territory and displace its people," the group said in a statement.

Turkey on Wednesday launched Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria to secure its borders by eliminating terrorists there and to ensure the safe return of Syrian refugees and Syria’s territorial integrity.

Following an emergency ministerial meeting in Cairo on Saturday, the Arab League described the Turkish anti-terror operation in northern Syria as a “military invasion”.

The statement said that participants agreed to reevaluate diplomatic and military relations with Turkey.

Libya has rejected the statement, while Qatar and Somalia expressed reservations about it.

"The Arab League has remained silent for a long time about the U.S., Russian and Iranian invasions of Syria as well as hundreds of Zionist raids on Syrian territory," the association said.

It added that the Turkish operation aims to repel the aggression of these factions against Turkey and to create a safe zone for millions of Syrians.

It noted that the Arab League's stance stemmed from what it called a "counter-revolution", reiterating that "it does not represent the [Arab] nation or its peoples' aspirations."

Ankara wants to eliminate terrorist elements of the PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the PYD/YPG, from east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.