Erdogan warns: ‘Provocations’ on al-Aksa may lead to new intifada

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu calls Israeli actions "nothing but barbarity to the core."

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Israel on Thursday that its “provocations” and “vicious” actions on al-Aksa may lead to a “new intifada.”
The international community must take “all required steps” to deal with this issue, Erdogan said at a press conference in Ankara, the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News reported.
“Otherwise, these provocations may revive intifada movements and we can also experience various troubles in different parts of the world, as [tension] would not remain limited to Palestine, Jerusalem or that region.”
The Turkish president vowed “not to remain silent in the face of Israeli aggression... Otherwise, in addition to remaining alone in the region, Israel will remain alone also in the world. I hope the Israeli administration will handle this matter with good sense and that the doors of al-Aksa Mosque are rapidly opened to Muslims.”
Erdogan called both Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal on Wednesday night, sources from the presidential office told Anadolu Agency in a report published Thursday.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also harshly criticized Israel, saying its actions were “nothing but barbarity to the core,” and calling on Muslims around the world to protect al-Aksa, Hurriyet reported.
Israeli actions on the Temple Mount must receive a “stern response,” Davutoglu said Wednesday, adding that his country would “always stand by the Palestinians.”
“We will make the necessary efforts to ensure that the international community gives the most active response against this attitude,” he said.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) also condemned Israel, calling its actions “barbarity.”