Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın defended President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks on the Al-Aqsa crisis against Israeli criticism Thursday.
Kalın said that the Turkish nation was proud of its history, adding that all religions, even before the Ottoman era, enjoyed "complete freedom" of worship in the Holy Lands.
"Those who try to attack our history should study it first," Kalın told news channel Habertürk.
On Tuesday, Erdoğan criticized the new Israeli security measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is sacred to Muslims and is the Islamic world's third-holiest site. He urged Muslims to play their part in protecting the sacred mosque in Jerusalem.
The same day, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon blasted Erdoğan's statements as "delusional."
"The days of the Ottoman Empire are over," Nahshon said. "The capital of the Jewish people was, is, and always will be Jerusalem. As opposed to the past, this is a city where the government is committed to its security, liberty, freedom of worship, and respect the rights of all minorities."
Kalın responded by saying that the issues surrounding Al-Aqsa would "cause tension" between not only Turkey and Israel, but also between all the countries in the region.
"[Israel] expecting us to act as though nothing is going on there is unrealistic," Erdoğan's spokesperson said.
Kalın added that Turkey was worried that Israel was planning to change the current status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"The Palestinian people, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem are not alone. If current policies continue, Israel will face the entire Muslım world," he said.
When asked about Turkey seeking to buy Russia's S-400 missile defense system, Kalın said the deal was "almost" sealed.
"There are a few issues about the deal, but the outline of it is completed… We are establishing this system for repelling and obstructing an attack on us," he said.
The S-400 system was introduced in 2007 and can carry three types of missiles capable of destroying ground and air targets, including ballistic and cruise missiles.
It can track and engage up to 300 targets simultaneously and has an altitude ceiling of 27 kilometers (17 miles).
