ANKARA
\nTurkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he told his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog that he was \u201cvery upset\u201d by Palestinians injured or killed in the West Bank and Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
\nSince Friday, Al Aqsa – also revered by Jews as a vestige of two ancient temples – has seen confrontations between Palestinian stone-throwers and Israeli riot police, recalling violence that helped fan a Gaza war one year ago.
\nOn Friday, at least 152 Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Israeli riot police inside the mosque\u2019s compound, the latest outbreak in an upsurge of violence that has raised fears of a slide back to wider conflict.
\nIn a tweet, Erdogan said the two leaders had discussed the recent events caused by \u201csome radical Israeli groups and security forces\u201d in a phone call that comes amid efforts to normalise ties between the two countries.
\nThe \u201craids by fanatic groups\u201d at Al-Aqsa in recent days and the violence spreading to Gaza were also upsetting, Erdogan told Herzog.
\nErdogan said he also \u201cemphasised the necessity of not allowing provocations and threats against the status and spirituality of the Al-Aqsa Mosque during this sensitive time.\u201d
\nRegional rivals Turkey and Israel expelled ambassadors in 2018 and have often traded barbs over the Palestinian conflict, Turkish support of the Hamas militant group, which runs Gaza, and other issues.
\nTurkey, which supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has said it believes a rapprochement with Israel will also help find a solution to the issue, but that it would not abandon commitments to Palestinians for better ties with Israel.
\nPalestinians accuse Israel of encroaching at Al Aqsa during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Israel says Palestinian protesters seek to disrupt Muslim prayer for political ends and to prevent visits by Jews, who are now celebrating Passover.
\nWhile it has criticised the clashes in Jerusalem, Turkey\u2019s reaction to the violence has been much calmer than in the past, when it had launched various initiatives at the United Nations and other platforms to condemn Israel and support Palestinians.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ANKARA Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he told his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog that he was \u201cvery upset\u201d by Palestinians injured or killed in the West Bank and Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Since Friday, Al Aqsa – also revered by Jews as a vestige of two ancient temples […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":223059,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1430,5960,2442],"class_list":{"0":"post-256391","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-israel","9":"tag-palestinians","10":"tag-tayyip-erdogan"},"yoast_head":"\n