Ankara condemns Israeli minister's 'provocation' at Al-Aqsa
ANKARA
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry has condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by an Israeli minister as another act of provocation to undermine efforts to find a permanent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque today by some Israeli ministers, under the protection of Israeli police and accompanied by Israeli settler groups,” read a statement by the ministry issued late on Aug. 3.
In a highly controversial move, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir publicly conducted a Jewish prayer at the mosque's compound, which is Islam's third-holiest site, and sits on the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest place.
Ensuring the security of Al-Aqsa Mosque and preserving Jerusalem’s sacred character is a primary responsibility not only for the region but also in the name of the collective conscience of humanity, the ministry said.
“These systematic provocations by the occupying power Israel, together with recent calls for annexation, target the foundations of the two-state solution and gravely undermine aspirations for peace,” it said.
"In the face of Israel’s ongoing destabilizing actions in Palestine and across the region, we reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire and for the establishment of a lasting peace based on the two-state solution."
The Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab countries also strongly condemned repeated Israeli provocations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
In a statement, the OIC said Ben Gvir’s intrusion was part of the Israeli attempts "to change the historical and legal status quo in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
The Saudi Foreign Ministry warned that the Israeli practices by government officials at Al-Aqsa Mosque “only serve to fuel conflict in the region.”
Riyadh reiterated its “continued demand that the international community stop the practices of Israeli occupation officials” and called for urgent international intervention.
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry called Ben Gvir’s intrusion a “flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law” and an “unacceptable provocation and escalation.”
Amman reiterated that the entire Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is “a place of worship exclusively for Muslims,” and underscored that the Jordanian-run Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department is the sole legal authority responsible for managing the site and organizing access to it.
Palestine also denounced the new raid led by Ben Gvir into the religious site.
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas decried Ben-Gvir’s intrusion as a “criminal act” that poses a direct threat to both regional and international peace and security.
In a statement, Hamas said the raid was part of “an intensifying crime against Al-Aqsa Mosque” and an extension of Israel’s broader assault on the Palestinian people, land and holy sites.
Jewish religious rituals are prohibited in the compound by a long-standing agreement between Israel and Jordan, custodian of the site.
In recent years, the understanding, known as the "status quo" has been repeatedly violated by Jewish visitors, including members of Israel's parliament.
