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urkey has pledged to support the Palestinian cause, rejecting allegations that it remains a close military ally of Israel.

According to Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, Turkey is committed to the Palestinian agenda and has called Turkey'€™s position on Palestine a permanent position.

'€œWe have to defend the rights of the Palestinians and we have to defend the existence of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state,'€ Kurtulmus said during a discussion in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He claimed that Turkey had severed the majority of its ties with Israel following the latter'€™s 2010 attack on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza strip. Israel'€™s assault on the ship resulted in the death of scores of passengers.

The Israeli military stormed the passenger vessel, which was part of a '€œfreedom flotilla'€ from 50 countries, in international waters while the ship was attempting to reach a blockaded Gaza. As a Muslim-majority member of NATO, Turkey had long been a ally to Israel until relations deteriorated following the incident.

Both sides have since kept each other at arm'€™s length, with Israel apologizing for the incident in 2013 but refusing to dismantle the Gaza blockade.

Kurtulmus did not respond to a question on whether or not Turkey would completely sever its ties with Israel in order to fully back the Palestinian agenda.

A member of Kurtulmus'€™ entourage claimed that Ankara had discontinued significant military deals with Israel, such as the procurement of fighter jets, save for a few that were still under contract.

Even so, Kurtulmus insisted that Ankara'€™s position on the Palestinian issue was not up for debate, as it remained an issue that was close to the hearts of many Turks. '€œThis is not the obligation of the Turkish state. This is the responsibility of Turkish society,'€ he asserted. '€œIt is not our political intention. It is a position that comes from our faith.'€

Kurtulmus called for the propagation of Islamic values of peace and harmony in the present context of global politics so as to provide good examples of just and inclusive governance to the international community.

'€œIt is justice, not power, that is essential,'€ he said, referring to a principle rooted in Islamic tradition that he believed showcased the weakness of the current international political process.

The Turkish official argued that part of the source of the Palestinian crisis was the fact that the existing global system privileged power over justice to legitimize international inaction.

He argued that the current permanent membership of the UN Security Council aided parties like Israel, a country that has privileged relations with the US. Because of Israel'€™s alliance with the US, Kurtulmus said Israel had free reign over its actions.

'€œIf you have someone who defends you at the UN Security Council, then you are free to make any unlawful action against anyone,'€ he said. '€œWe say the world is bigger than five states. We have to change the world system in a peaceful way.'€

Israel has repeatedly ignored a number of UN resolutions aimed at ending its occupation of Palestine.

Peace talks between the two states collapsed in April 2014 and since then the situation has deteriorated, with the prospect of fresh dialogue appearing ever more remote.

The Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) concluded on Monday a two-day summit on Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif in Jakarta with a call for united action to end Israel'€™s hostile policies.

The measures proposed in the Jakarta Declaration included efforts to establish a legal advocacy group, revitalized funding support, the promotion of steps to achieve a two-state solution and a partial boycott of Israeli products.

Turkey, represented by Kurtulmus at the summit, pledged to advocate for the Palestinian agenda.

The summit also called on Indonesia to play a larger role in resolving conflict in the Middle East and help restore the image of Islam that has been tarnished of late by radical extremism.

By leveraging Islamic values that promote multiculturalism and religious tolerance, Turkey expects Indonesia to address the root causes of the Palestinian conflict and other international conflicts.

'€œTerrorism and the refugee problem [are] some of the results of the current international system. Actually, these problems have their roots in economic and political instability, invasion, internal conflict and proxy war,'€ Kurtulmus said.