Türkiye remains committed to advocating for the Palestinian cause, Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Monday said as tensions soar in the region.

"Türkiye refused to stay silent after Israeli police entered Al-Aqsa and took steps violating the sanctity of Masjid al-Haram. So we called Palestine, we spoke with Israel, too, and urged them to cease their attacks for good today," Çavuşoğlu said as he spoke ahead of an iftar, a dinner to break the daily fast, hosted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) with citizens and youths in the capital Ankara.

"We convened the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and made key decisions. Consequently, we will continue fighting for the Palestinian cause, and sensitivity towards this matter will never change," the minister emphasized.

Çavuşoğlu was referring to Israeli forces’ attacks on Muslim worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem last week, which Ankara has strongly condemned.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also conveyed to his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog in a phone call last Saturday Türkiye’s readiness to contribute to de-escalating the situation and the need to take precautions ahead of Muslims’ i’tikaf isolation practice starting April 11.

Palestinians accuse Israel of systematically working to Judaize East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, and obliterate its Arab and Islamic identity. 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 ancient Jewish temples.

Known for its unbreakable solidarity with Palestinians, Türkiye has supported the Palestinian cause internationally for decades. Turkish authorities emphasize that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East is through a fair and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue within the framework of international law and United Nations resolutions.

Despite the recent rapprochement, Turkish officials criticize Israel’s policies targeting Palestinians, including the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Pointing to "problems and clashes that exist everywhere," Çavuşoğlu reiterated that Türkiye is working to "spread its influence to four corners of the world with initiatives in Africa, Asia and Latin America, demonstrate its power, and improve ties with everyone."

Pioneering peace

The top diplomat highlighted relations with "brotherly nations" growing more robust thanks to normalization steps, despite "many conflicts around Türkiye."

"The world is changing fast, and we need new policies," Çavuşoğlu said. "Türkiye can produce a vision, as proven by chiefly the Antalya Diplomacy Forum."

He argued that Türkiye and its leader Erdoğan were "the only ones who could stress the need to change global systems due to their insufficiency, especially the U.N., and doing so while championing a fairer world with its motto ‘the world is bigger than five.’"

Gesturing at the crowd, Çavuşoğlu said, "Therefore, thanks to your support, Türkiye is proactive and has a say in every matter."

He contended that the Black Sea grain deal, an initiative brokered by Ankara alongside the U.N. to ensure Ukraine can export grain from ports blockaded by Russia following its invasion, "would not have happened if not for Türkiye."

"Even if it had, it wouldn’t have been extended," he added, alluding to Ankara’s ongoing efforts to coax Moscow into sticking with the safe corridor when it is up for renewal again next month.

"We are present for every mediation effort, including the prisoner swap. Türkiye has become a brand in mediation," Çavuşoğlu noted.

"If Türkiye has become a global power in the past two decades, we need to become much stronger in the second century of our republic because in this now many-sided world, everyone is racing to divvy up power, and new powers are emerging. Therefore we must be at the heart of this power distribution," he said, adding that it wasn’t a competition with others but "the policies that would put us in the center."

Türkiye will mark its first anniversary as a democratic republic on Oct. 29 this year, a little over five months after it holds the presidential and parliamentary elections that stand to be a critical turning point for the country.

Himself an AK Party member, Çavuşoğlu assured, "We are working day and night to make the second century of our republic the Century of Türkiye, of the Turkish nation and Turkish world," about his party’s "Century of Türkiye" vision, a set of ambitious projects and steps Erdoğan announced in October 2022.

Çavuşoğlu further thanked young supporters at the event for their backing of Türkiye’s foreign policies, which he emphasized helped Türkiye become a "global brand and actor in mediation from the Philippines to Somali."

"Türkiye is the only effective country working to mediate peace between these nations. Türkiye is the key to stability in Syria and Libya," he added.

"There is a global energy crisis, but Türkiye is now the hub of energy and logistics. Türkiye puts up the most effective fight against terror groups like the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), Daesh and PKK/YPG, as well as Islamophobia, racism and xenophobia. Türkiye defends the rights of all Muslims and victims," he concluded.