Erdogan: The Israeli government's closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque is unacceptable.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Israeli government's closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, is an issue that cannot be accepted at all.

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Israeli government's closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, is an issue that cannot be accepted at all”

Al-Jazeera Net

This came during a phone call he had with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, during which they discussed bilateral relations and regional issues.

Al-Jazeera Net

The Turkish president had on Wednesday referred to Israel’s closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, stating that Israel, for purely arbitrary reasons and without any authority, kept the Al-Aqsa Mosque closed to Muslim worship for 17 days.

On the same day, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for opening the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque immediately, allowing Palestinian Muslims to pray and celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

In turn, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, the head of the Supreme Islamic Authority in Jerusalem and the imam of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, welcomed Erdogan’s and Anwar Ibrahim’s stance rejecting Israeli actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Al-Jazeera Net

Sabri said in a statement that Erdogan and Ibrahim were among the first leaders to express their rejection of the measures imposed on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, including its closure and the prevention of worshippers from reaching it.

Sabri warned that Israel is exploiting the war underway in the region to impose a new reality at Al-Aqsa and to violate its Islamic sovereignty, taking advantage of the international community’s preoccupation, stressing that what is happening constitutes a dangerous precedent since 1967.

He urged the Arab and Muslim countries to act urgently to stop these measures, ensure freedom of worship, and prevent imposing de facto policies.

Israeli police have closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque completely to worshippers since the start of its war on Iran in partnership with the United States on February 28, in a move unprecedented during Ramadan since 1967.

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Israeli government's closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, is an issue that cannot be accepted at all”

Al-Jazeera Net

Israeli authorities are imposing stringent restrictions on the entry of worshippers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, hindering Muslims from performing their rites, turning Jerusalem into a military encampment, and have attacked worshippers in recent days around the Old City of Jerusalem, while some worshippers were trying to reach the closest spot to perform prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.