Erdogan says Israel damaging Jerusalem’s ‘Islamic character’
ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel on Wednesday of inflicting damage on Jerusalem’s “Islamic character.”
The dispute over security at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound has touched off the bloodiest clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in years.
“Israel is harming Jerusalem’s Islamic character,” said Erdogan during an educational conference in Ankara. “Nobody should expect us to remain silent against the double standards in Jerusalem.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded with a statement criticizing the Turkish government.
Turkey has troops stationed in Northern Cyprus, is battling armed Kurdish separatists in its southeast region and has jailed large numbers of journalists, academics and others it suspects of having supported an abortive military coup last year.
The Al-Aqsa dispute, like many in the region, is about much more than security devices, taking in issues of sovereignty, religious freedom, occupation and Palestinian nationalism.
Erdogan on Saturday denounced as “excessive” the use of force by Israeli forces in deadly clashes over Al-Aqsa.
“I condemn Israel’s insistence on its position despite all warnings... and the excessive use of force by Israeli forces against our brothers gathered for Friday prayers,” he said in a statement.
On Friday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Turkey was in dialogue with Israel to end the crisis.
Speaking in Ankara after Friday prayers, he said worship at the Al-Aqsa Mosque would be made difficult if each person is searched at entry.
Yildirim called the precautions “radical,” saying limits imposed on Muslim prayers would not contribute to a solution.
He said that “our suggestion to Israel is this practice is wrong” and another precaution should be developed.