ISTANBUL
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday strongly condemned Israeli police raids at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels following a NATO foreign ministers meeting, Cavusoglu said that Israel had “violated” the sanctity of the compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and “took a step that would disrupt its historical status.”
On Wednesday, Israeli police said they detained 350 Palestinians from the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, with witnesses saying they used excessive force, including tear gas.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.
“We had warned them to prevent such provocations, especially during Ramadan,” during Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen’s visit to Türkiye following the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Turkiye and his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Cavusoglu added.
“Israel should end such attacks immediately,” he added.
Noting that a “dialogue” process with Israel has restarted, Cavusoglu said: “But our engagement with Israel certainly cannot come at the expense of the Palestinian cause.” He added: “In that regard, we never compromise our principles or our beliefs.”
Following the deadly quakes, Israel was one of the first countries to send support to Türkiye.
Egypt's foreign minister to visit Türkiye
Cavusoglu also said that he agreed in principle to meet with his Egyptian counterpart Shoukry in Türkiye during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends in late April.
Last month, Cavusoglu and Shoukry spoke on the phone to schedule his visit to Türkiye.
The two also gave each other best wishes for the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
Earlier last month, Cavusoglu and Shoukry met in the capital Cairo, where the two discussed bilateral relations and regional and international issues, and agreed to maximize diplomatic ties.
Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Egypt have been at the level of charges d'affaires on both sides since Egypt's 2013 military coup, which overthrew then-President Mohammed Morsi.
