Turkish and Jordanian foreign ministers condemned the recent visit of Israel’s new national security minister to the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in occupied East Jerusalem, a statement by the ministry said Thursday.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi discussed Tuesday's "raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque," said the Foreign Ministry.
"During the phone call, the Ministers reiterated their condemnation regarding the provocative act of Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of National Security of Israel, on Al-Aqsa Mosque on 3 January 2023," said the statement.
Reiterating that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a place of worship for Muslims, Çavuşoğlu emphasized the "importance of preserving the status and sanctity of holy places in Jerusalem" as he expressed Ankara's support for efforts to protect them by Jordan, which holds custodianship of holy sites in Jerusalem.
"The Ministers also reiterated the importance of coordinated efforts in international platforms, including in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation," it added.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Tuesday, defying warnings that doing so would stir unrest.
For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
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 recognized by the international community.
