Istanbul
Türkiye on Tuesday strongly condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, calling it an unacceptable provocation against the historical and legal identity of one of Islam’s holiest sites.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said: “We strongly condemn the incursion by an Israeli minister into Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
The ministry said it deemed unacceptable the violations and provocations by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government targeting the historical and legal identity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, a holy site exclusively belonging to Muslims.
The statement also underlined that ensuring Al-Aqsa remains open for Muslim worship and lifting all restrictions that obstruct freedom of worship at holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem are a shared responsibility of the international community.
On Monday, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Israeli authorities kept Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre closed for the 38th consecutive day, citing the “state of emergency” declared since the start of the US-Israeli attack on Iran on Feb. 28.
