ISTANBUL, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday slammed Israel for dismissing the rights of its Palestinian citizens by adopting the "Jewish state" law.
"The bill clearly ignores the rights of Israeli citizens with Palestinian origin," Erdogan said at a meeting in Istanbul with a group of Arab deputies from the Israeli parliament.
"I am using all means available to end Israel's occupation in Palestine and restore peace and tranquility in the region," the Turkish leader was quoted as saying by the state-run Anadolu Agency.
In July last year, the Israeli parliament narrowly passed the controversial bill that defines Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.
Turkey favors the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
"Turkey will not turn its back on the Palestinian cause or people," said Erdogan.
Turkish-Israeli ties stalled last year after Ankara recalled its ambassador and expelled the Israeli envoy over the deaths of dozens of Palestinians at the hands of Israeli forces.
