Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Saturday night and expressed his concerns amid rising tensions in Jerusalem and the West Bank over the past week as Israel grapples with a series of terrorist attacks including Three people had died over the weekend.
Erdogan initiated the phone call and expressed his condolences to the Israeli people for Friday’s separate attacks in the West Bank, where two sisters were killed and their mother was seriously injured, according to a readout from Herzog’s office. Injured, and in Tel Aviv, where a suspicious car collision killed an Italian tourist
The call came as Muslims mark the Islamic holy month of Ramadan which once again this year coincides with the Jewish festival of Passover. Erdogan wished Herzog and the people of Israel a happy Passover, and the Israeli President greeted “Ramadan Kareem”.
In Israel, the month of Ramadan is known as a period of high tension between the Israeli military and the Palestinians, particularly in Jerusalem and the West Bank. The Al-Aqsa Mosque, located in the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, receives tens of thousands of worshipers throughout the month, leading to regular escalation of violence. The site is the holiest site for Jews as the location of two Biblical temples, while the al-Aqsa Mosque on the Mount is the third holiest shrine in Islam, turning the area into a major flashpoint in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
This week, tensions have risen after clashes at Al-Aqsa, followed by tit-for-tat rockets fired from the Gaza Strip by terror group Hamas and a major rocket barrage from Lebanon on Thursday, Israel’s strikes – also believed to be It is also the work of Rockets were fired Saturday night at Hamas in southern Lebanon – as well as from Syria, and a suspected Iranian drone was launched from Syria earlier in the week.
On Tuesday, police said masked youths barricaded themselves inside with fireworks, clubs and rocks and refused to come out peacefully, after which they entered Al-Aqsa. The authorities apparently believed that the group intended to attack Jews coming to the Mount on the eve of Passover.
FILE: Israeli security forces stand guard near the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan on April 5, 2023. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
Video of police apparently beating Palestinians in a mosque went viral and sparked outrage across the Muslim world. The police replied that they had come under direct fire.
one in Call with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi On Friday, Erdogan said that “the Islamic world must unite against Israel’s attacks on Palestine.”
The call from Israel’s archenemy Iran, which backs Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist group, potentially presents a challenge to Jerusalem’s newly restored ties with Ankara.
Turkish readout said about the conversation with Raici, “Emphasizing that common sense must prevail to prevent a new spiral of violence, Erdogan called for common sense to guide all sides.” It would be beneficial to take the initiative.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and his Iranian counterpart Ibrahim Raisi shake hands at the conclusion of their joint press conference at Saadabad Palace in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, July 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Wahid Salemi)
In Saturday’s call with Herzog, the Israeli president reaffirmed the country’s commitment to maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount and at holy sites in general, according to Israeli readouts.
Herzog told the Turkish President that “Iran, through its proxies including Hamas, is leading a campaign on multiple fronts aimed at undermining regional stability and using terrorism based on religious incitement, focusing on the situation in Jerusalem.”
According to the readout, the president cited “biased and false reports in the Arabic-language media, and the dissemination of fake and old videos to promote terrorism.”
In a Turkish readout cited by the Haaretz news site, Erdogan brought up Tuesday’s “attack by Israeli forces on the Al-Aqsa Mosque” and Israel’s “harsh attitude towards worshipers in holy places”.
Erdogan said that Herzog Muslims would not be able to remain silent “in the face of provocations and threats to the status and spirituality of al-Aqsa”, adding that “incidents like this, which happen every Ramadan, should not be allowed to dictate.” ” the fate of the whole region. ,
He added that Turkey is “ready to assist in the steps for lasting justice and peace.”
Under a decades-long arrangement under Jordanian tutelage, Jews and other non-Muslims are allowed to visit the Temple Mount – under a number of restrictions and only during limited hours – but cannot pray there. This arrangement is commonly known as the “status quo”. In recent years, Jewish religious figures, including members of the new governing coalition, have increasingly visited the site and called for equal prayer rights for Jews there, angering Palestinians and Muslims around the world.
