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Türkiye on Monday condemned a raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque carried out by Israeli extremist groups under police protection. It also denounced what it described as provocative actions during the incursion, including the unfurling of an Israeli flag and the singing of the national anthem.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said it condemned the incident “in the strongest terms.”
The ministry warned that actions aimed at disregarding the historical and legal status of Jerusalem, particularly the Al-Aqsa Mosque, constitute a clear violation of international law and risk further deepening regional instability.
“In the face of these dangerous provocations and violations by occupying Israel against Muslim and Christian holy sites, we reiterate our call for the international community to increase pressure on Israel,” the statement said.
Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday under police protection, amid Palestinian warnings of what they described as efforts to alter the site's status.
Jerusalem Governorate official Omar Rajoub told Anadolu that raising the Israeli flag and conducting provocative rituals inside the mosque compound are part of a deliberate Israeli policy. He labeled the actions a systematic effort led directly by the extremist occupation government.
“These practices aim to impose new realities by force in occupied East Jerusalem and undermine the historical and legal status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said.
Rajoub alleged that the actions are part of a broader effort aimed at changing the character of East Jerusalem and altering the status of the mosque.
He described the entry of Israeli settlers into the compound under police protection as “a clear violation of international law” that hurts the feelings of Palestinians and Muslims around the world.
Rajoub also warned of what he called the serious consequences of repeated violations and held the Israeli government responsible for the escalation.
He called on the international community to take immediate action to halt what he described as ongoing violations against Palestinians and holy sites in occupied Jerusalem.
Rajoub further emphasized that the entire 144-dunam area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque is considered a Muslim place of worship.
Since 2003, Israeli police has permitted Jewish visitors to enter the mosque compound during designated hours on most days of the week, excluding Fridays and Saturdays.
Palestinians have long accused Israel of seeking to alter the status quo in East Jerusalem, including at Al-Aqsa Mosque, and of attempting to diminish the city's Arab and Islamic identity.
Palestinians regard East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, based on international resolutions that do not recognize Israel's occupation of the city in 1967 or its subsequent annexation in 1980.
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