Türkiye is deeply concerned about the violation of the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, the Foreign Ministry said Monday, in response to the storming of the holy compound by hundreds of Israeli settlers for the second day in a row.
The ministry said attacks that violate the sanctity and historical status quo of sacred sites, especially the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem, are "completely unacceptable."
"We reiterate our call to the Israeli government to refrain from any provocative actions that could escalate tensions in the field and our strong expectation that the necessary steps be taken seriously and quickly in this regard."
Palestinians accuse Israel of systematically working to Judaize East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, and obliterate its Arab and Islamic identity.
For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two ancient Jewish temples.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.
Each year, Israeli forces ramp up violent and oppressive policies against Palestinians during the month of Ramadan.
Known for its unbreakable solidarity with Palestinians, Türkiye has been voicing support for the Palestinian cause in the international realm for decades. Turkish authorities emphasize that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East is through a fair and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue within the framework of international law and United Nations resolutions.
Despite the recent rapprochement, Turkish officials continue to criticize Israel’s policies targeting Palestinians, including the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
