Turkey on Thursday condemned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, accusing him and thousands of Israelis who entered the site with police protection of violating the compound’s historical and legal status.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by an Israeli minister, accompanied by a group of extremists and under the protection of Israeli security forces,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry called on the international community to prevent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government from creating “faits accomplis” at Jerusalem’s holy sites. It described Al-Aqsa as a place of worship reserved for Muslims.
Ben-Gvir entered the compound on Tisha B’Av, a Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of ancient temples believed to have stood there. More than 4,200 Israelis entered the site during the day, Palestinian officials said.
Ben-Gvir praised Jewish visitors who prayed there, Reuters reported. Under the arrangement governing the compound, which Muslims call Al-Haram al-Sharif and Jews call the Temple Mount, non-Muslims may visit but only Muslims may pray. A Jordanian religious foundation administers the site.
Jordan and Palestinian officials also condemned the raid, which Ben-Gvir has repeated since joining Netanyahu’s government in 2022.