Al-Aqsa's preacher praises Turkish president’s stance on Palestine

By Esat Firat

JERUSALEM (AA) - Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the imam of East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s speech at the 5th Conference of the League of Parliamentarians for Al-Quds.

"We appreciate the positive attitude of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is on the right path. This attitude comes from a heart that believes in the justice of the Palestinian cause," said Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the president of the High Islamic Council of Jerusalem.

Sabri stressed the importance of Türkiye’s diplomatic and media activities regarding the Palestinian cause, calling for increased steps to protect the rights of the Palestinian people and the Islamic status of the Mosque of Al-Aqsa.

He also called on the Arab and Islamic world to cooperate with Türkiye to stop attacks on the Palestinian people and deter Israel from its “genocidal war.”

Sabri highlighted the “unlimited support” extended to Israel by the US and the West in its war against the Palestinian people.

He stated that Arab and Islamic countries should put all kinds of pressure on countries supporting Israel.

He also appreciated the people around the world who have been organizing demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people.

Sabri also praised activists, journalists, and independent decision-makers who make every effort to expose Israel's “lies and crimes,” noting that the Palestinian people resist the war waged by Israel and its allies.

In his speech at the 5th Conference of the League of Parliamentarians for Al-Quds (Jerusalem) held in Istanbul, Erdogan said: "No one can expect us to remain silent in the face of genocide while our Palestinian brothers have been resisting alone for 203 days."

He stressed that it is difficult to live as a Muslim, and defend rights, law, and justice courageously.

"Especially harassment toward the sanctity, historical status, and sacredness of our first qibla, the Mosque of Al-Aqsa, is increasing gradually. Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque faces more and more harassment, with the identity of the ancient city being eroded by Israel step by step,” the Turkish president said.

"As the descendants of our ancestors who revived Jerusalem, which was burned and destroyed by the crusades, and turned it into a land of peace for four centuries, we closely follow every negative and positive development in Palestine," he added.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi from Istanbul