Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly condemned Israel's raid on Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem. He expressed his ''sadness and anger."
President Erdogan said "Türkiye cannot remain silent in the face of attacks. Reaching out to Al-Aqsa Mosque and trampling on the sanctity of the Haram al-Sharif is our red line,"
Erdogan made the comments on Wednesday after an iftar - a special Ramadan fast-breaking dinner - with retirees in the capital Ankara.
This comes after a raid by the Israeli police on the Al Aqsa Mosque in the early hours of Wednesday detaining around 350 worshippers and injuring several others in the mosque complex. This has escalated tension.
A group of Palestinians had barricaded themselves inside the Al-Qibli Prayer Hall in the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex after Jewish settlers called for a raid on the mosque. They attempted to prevent police from entering by closing its doors.
But the Israeli police went up to the roof of the mosque, smashing windows, and initially using sound bombs against worshippers inside. Some in the mosque tried to resist police by throwing fireworks.
"I condemn the vile acts against the first qibla of Muslims and call for the attacks to be stopped as soon as possible," Erdogan said.
The Turkish leader said Israel follows "the politics of oppression," adding that Palestinian people are not alone.
Israeli Prime-Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is committed to maintaining the Al Aqsa status quo.
However, on Wednesday night reports began to emerge of a second attack - in a day - on worshipers in the mosque by Israeli forces.
US, UK, Germany also react to raid
The US government says it is "extremely concerned" about tensions around the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and urged “all sides” to exercise restraint.
“We remain extremely concerned by the continuing violence, and we urge all sides to avoid further escalation,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters during a news conference.
"It's imperative, now more than ever, that both Israelis and Palestinians work together to de-escalate this tension and to restore a sense of calm,” he added.
Asked why there was no US condemnation of the Israeli attack on Palestinian worshippers, Kirby responded by saying: “I think we have a very strong track record of speaking out against violence all around the world, and the death and injury caused to people of all faiths. "
Britain's minister for the Middle East said on Wednesday, says the sanctity and status of holy sites must be respected and protected, calling for immediate de-escalation after late-night Israel raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.
"Shocked to awake to the disturbing scenes of Israeli Security forces' raid on the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem injuring many worshippers during Ramadan," Tariq Ahmad said on Twitter. "Violence only fuels more violence," he added.
Touching on the "indiscriminate firing of rockets" from the Gaza Strip to Israel and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, which spread ''fear amongst civilians," Ahmad called for immediate de-escalation.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has voiced concerns about violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan.
"We are extremely concerned with the inflamed rhetoric coming out of the Israeli government," Trudeau said at a public budget announcement.
"It is the holy month of Ramadan and Passover together, and both Israeli and Palestinian families deserve to be able to celebrate in peace and security," he said.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry has also expressed concern over the Israeli raids at the Al-Aqsa Mosque but did not categorically condemn the act.
Asked repeatedly at a press briefing whether he would explicitly condemn the Israeli actions, ministry spokesperson Christofer Burger merely said that “last night’s riots on the Temple Mount, Haram Sharif, were of concern” to Germany.
He urged all sides to “do everything possible to calm down the situation,” saying the protection of civilians should always be the priority.
On the other hand, the German Central Council of Muslims has denounced the Israeli raids and attacks on worshippers.
“We condemn any use of force and call on the Israeli security forces, together with the guardians of the Holy Place, to do everything possible to ensure that this tense situation does not escalate any further,” the Berlin-based group said in a statement.
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.
