Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel for its actions against rioters on the Temple Mount on Sunday, as Ankara seeks a path to closer relations with Jerusalem.
Following a phone call with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Erdogan tweeted that they “were having a sad Ramadan due to what happened in Palestine, especially in Jerusalem.”
“I strongly condemn Israel’s interventions against the worshippers in al-Aqsa Mosque and... we will stand against the provocations and threats against the status and spirituality of al-Aqsa Mosque,” Erdogan tweeted. “Turkey is always on the side of Palestine. The events remind us of the necessity for all Palestinian groups to work toward unity and reconciliation.”
Erdogan had refrained from commenting on the rioting and policing on the Temple Mount in recent days, which came amid a recent rapprochement between Turkey and Israel.
A source involved in the warming Israel-Turkey ties had been in touch with senior officials in Ankara to discourage Erdogan from making the kinds of angry statements he had often made about Israel in the last decade, especially on the issue of Jerusalem, such as calling Israeli soldiers and police murderers.
As a result, the remarks were comparable to those of Arab states with which Israel has established peace.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry called on Saturday for “self-restraint, providing full protection for Muslim worshippers and allowing them to perform Islamic rituals in al-Aqsa Mosque, which is an Islamic endowment purely for Muslims.”
Mahmoud el-Sisi, son of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, arrived in Jerusalem with two other officials from Cairo on Sunday, in an attempt to mediate between Israeli and Palestinian factions, the London-based news site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported. The Jerusalem Post was unable to independently verify the report.
The UAE also “strongly condemned... Israeli forces’ storming of al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Morocco’s Foreign Ministry said the “blatant attack and systematic provocation during the holy month of Ramadan... will stoke hatred and extremism and undermine chances to revive the peace process in the region.”
Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Sunday afternoon stressed the need for Israel to respect the “historical and legal status-quo at al-Aqsa Mosque/al-Haram al-Sharif and cease all illegal and provocative measures that violate it and could push toward further escalation.”
The Jordanian monarch directed his government to continue regional and international efforts and communications to “stop Israeli escalations.”
Tzvi Joffre contributed to this report.