Türkiye, Jordan reiterate condemnation of Israeli provocation at Al-Aqsa mosque

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - In a Thursday phone call, the top diplomats of Türkiye and Jordan repeated their denunciation of a recent provocation by Israel's new national security minister at the at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, said an official Turkish statement.

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi discussed Tuesday's "raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque," said the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

"During the phone call, the Ministers reiterated their condemnation regarding the provocative act of Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of National Security of Israel, on Al-Aqsa Mosque on 3 January 2023," said a statement.

Reiterating that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a place of worship for Muslims, Cavusoglu emphasized the "importance of preserving the status and sanctity of holy places in Jerusalem" and expressed Ankara's support to Amman, which holds custodianship.

Emphasizing the "importance of preserving the status and sanctity of holy places in Jerusalem" and reiterating that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a place of worship for Muslims, Cavusoglu expressed Ankara's support for efforts to protect them by Jordan, which holds custodianship of holy sites in Jerusalem.

"The Ministers also reiterated the importance of coordinated efforts in international platforms, including in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation," it added.

On Tuesday, despite warnings that doing so would stir unrest, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

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 Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.