President Erdoğan, Abbas discuss Israeli violations

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday received a phone call from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during which they discussed Israeli violations in Palestinian territories in general and in occupied Jerusalem in particular, local Palestinian media has reported.

"Abbas had briefed the Turkish President about the dangerous Israeli violations," the official Palestinian news agency said.

It added that these violations included help offered by Israeli authorities for extremist settlers to enter Al-Aqsa mosque.

The conversation, the agency said, also focused on efforts made for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and a Palestinian bid to resort to the United Nations Security Council.

"Abbas said that the Palestinian leadership would refer the whole Palestinian cause as well as Israeli violations against holy sites to the Security Council," the agency said.

It added that the Palestinian Authority President had expressed hopes that the council would back the rights of the Palestinian people.

Earlier Wednesday, eyewitnesses said that Israeli police had stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex using stun grenades and teargas to disperse Palestinian worshippers inside.

A number of the latter suffered teargas inhalation after Israeli police fired teargas through the Al-Aqsa's western Al-Magharbeh Gate, eyewitnesses added.

Shortly afterward, over 60 Jewish settlers forced their way into the compound under the protection of Israeli police after Muslim worshippers were forcibly ejected from the holy site.