Palestinian director wants to shoot movie in Jerusalem

By Halil Ibrahim Sincar

MARDIN, Turkey (AA) - Palestinian film director and screenwriter Nawras Abu Saleh is dreaming of shooting a movie in Jerusalem.

“The biggest dream of mine is to shoot the liberation of Jerusalem. [Through that movie], I want to tell people what freedom is,” Saleh told Anadolu Agency in Turkey’s southeastern Mardin province.

His 2013 movie “Oversized Coat,” tells the story of Palestinians between the 1987-2011 period, which include intifadas and peace conventions.

Condemning U.S. President Donald Trump’s move on Jerusalem, Saleh said: “The decision will even create turmoil in the U.S.”

“Jerusalem is not only a capital of Palestinians but also a capital of the world,” he added.

-Erdogan’s stance over Jerusalem

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s stance after Trump’s announcement made Palestinians happy, said the director.

“We saw how much Turks love Palestine after the Israeli opening fire in the [Turkish-owned] Mavi Marmara [ship] incident. In the latest [Jerusalem] incident, we’ve also seen Erdogan’s stance and were happy.”

Erdogan called on member states of Organization of Islamic Cooperation to hold an extraordinary summit in Istanbul on Wednesday to discuss the U.S. move.

Last week, Donald Trump announced his decision despite widespread international opposition to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

During his election campaign last year, Trump repeatedly promised to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

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