BICOM

Turkish President Erdogan has accused Israel of using “excessive force” against Muslim worshipers during clashes over security measures at the Temple Mount.

At a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers in parliament yesterday he said “Israeli soldiers are defiling al-Aqsa with their combat boots by using simple excuses to easily shed blood there”

“What is being done now is using the fight against terrorism as a pretext to take al-Aqsa Mosque from the hands of Muslims. There is no other explanation” he added.

Erdogan then urged all Muslims to visit Jerusalem in order to protect the Holy sites.

Israel temporarily closed the Temple Mount for two days on July 14^th after three Israeli-Arabs smuggled weapons into the compound and killed two police officers.

In a sharply worded response, the Foreign Ministry called Erdogan’s statement “absurd, unfounded and distorted” adding that “in stark contrast to the past [Ottoman rule], the government in Jerusalem is committed to security, liberty, freedom of worship and respect for the rights of all minorities” and Erdogan “would be better off dealing with the difficult problems facing his own country”. They went on to warn that “Those who live in glass palaces should be wary of casting stones.”

Israel and Turkey signed a reconciliation agreement in June 2016, but despite strong economic ties, relations between the countries remains tense.

On Monday, before the removal of the metal detectors, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi called on Israel to “stop what is happening in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and not to provoke the feelings of Arabs and Muslims.”

El-Sisi also appealed for calm among the Egyptian public, asking them not to “take advantage of these events to throw around exaggerated slogans and say that ‘we are the defenders.’ We want to live side by side and that is a shared issue that we need to protect. The Palestinians needs to keep this in mind and so do the Israelis.”