Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday urged all Muslims to visit and 'protect' Jerusalem in the wake of violence over metal detectors that Israel installed and later removed from the Temple Mount.
Speaking in Ankara, Erdogan said: 'From here I make a call to all Muslims. Anyone who has the opportunity should visit Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa mosque [the ancient mosque adjacent to the Dome of the Rock]. Come, let's all protect Jerusalem.'
After an attack on July 14 that killed two Israeli police officers, Israel installed the metal detectors at entrances to the mosque compound, which also contains the Dome of the Rock. The move led to deadly clashes, with at least three Palestinians and three Israelis reportedly killed.
The area around the Temple Mount, which includes the Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa mosque and the Western Wall, and is a stone's throw from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, remains central to any elusive solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
'They are attempting to take the mosque from Muslim hands on the pretext of fighting terrorism. There is no other explanation,' added Erdogan, in a speech to ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) law-makers in parliament.
Edrogan added that Israel's legitimacy depended on the extent of the respect it showed to the rights of Palestinians.
An Israeli foreign ministry statement described the Turkish president's comments as 'mind-blowing, false and distorted', and suggested that he 'deal with the problems in his own country'.
The Israeli statement added: 'Jerusalem is a city whose government is committed to security, freedom, freedom of worship and respect for the rights of all minorities.'
Erdogan earlier also condemned attacks on synagogues in Turkey, following reports that an ultra-nationalist group last week threw stones at a synagogue in Istanbul.
'It does not make sense to attack synagogues here because something has happened at Al-Aqsa mosque,' he said. 'This does not suit our religion and it is not allowed.'
