Turkey Calls on International Community to Take Deterrent Measures to Protect the Historical and Legal Status of Al-Aqsa Mosque

Istanbul, September 28 (KUNA) – Turkey strongly condemned on Monday the incursion by groups of Israeli extremists into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces. In a statement, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs renewed its call on the international community to take deterrent measures against the occupation’s practices, which violate the historical and legal status of Al-Aqsa. The ministry emphasized that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aims, through its violations and provocations against Islamic holy sites, to inflame tensions in the region and undermine efforts toward peace and stability.

Earlier on Sunday, the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem reported that 1,500 Israeli settlers had entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and performed “Talmudic rituals” under the guard of Israeli occupation police, coinciding with tightened restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshippers. Since the beginning of what are referred to as the “Jewish holidays,” the Al-Aqsa compound has witnessed a surge in settler incursions, amid heavy protection by Israeli occupation forces and military measures in the city of Jerusalem. (End)