Türkiye strongly condemns storming of Al Aqsa by Israeli minister

Türkiye has “strongly” condemned the storming of the Al Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and extremist settlers.

“We call on Israeli authorities to take necessary measures in a serious manner to restrain these provocations which violate the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque and its historical status based on the international law, and to prevent escalation of the tension,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Far-right Jewish settlers stormed the Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, according to an official from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf. More than 340 settlers entered the compound under Israeli police protection.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognised by the international community.

Israeli forces and fanatical Jewish settlers frequently carry out raids at Al Aqsa Mosque to provoke Palestinians, and recent years have seen the incursions grow larger and more brazen.

Türkiye strongly supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, including the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.