Türkiye, US, EU condemn storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by radical Israelis

ANKARA

A far-right Israeli minister drew condemnation from Türkiye and the global community on Tuesday by praying with thousands of Jews at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in annexed east Jerusalem, defying a ban on Jewish prayer at the flashpoint site.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has often ignored the Israeli government's longstanding ban, vowed to "defeat Hamas" in Gaza in a video he filmed during his visit.

The compound is Islam's third holiest site and a symbol of Palestinian national identity, but it is also Judaism's holiest place, revered as the site of the ancient temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

During specific hours, Jews and other non-Muslims can visit the mosque compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, but they cannot pray or display religious symbols.

The visit comes at a tense time during the 10-month Israel-Hamas war, with faltering efforts for a ceasefire and Israel bracing for threatened attacks from Iran and its proxies.

Earlier, approximately 2,250 illegal Israeli settlers, including Ben-Gvir, his fellow Otzma Yehudit party minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, and Knesset member of the Likud party Amit Halevi, stormed into the complex to commemorate Tisha B'Av, an annual Jewish fast day that marks the occurrence of several disasters in Jewish history.

Ben-Gvir repeated his message that his policy is to allow Jewish prayer at the compound.

Israeli police also "imposed restrictions" on Muslim worshippers trying to enter the mosque.

Türkiye slams radical Israelis

The storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of radical Israelis, including ministers, will “further escalate tensions” in the region, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

“The storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of radical Israelis, including ministers, under police protection is a provocation that violates the historical status of Jerusalem and will further increase escalation in our region,” a ministry statement said.

The statement added that “this provocative act” showed again that Israel has no “intention of reaching peace.”

It called on the global community to take urgent action to stop the Israeli government's atrocities in Gaza and "prevent such actions that threaten the stability of our entire region."

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the Israeli raid during calls with his Qatari and Egyptian counterparts on Tuesday.

Fidan spoke separately with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, according to diplomatic sources.

The discussions focused on the Al-Aqsa incident, the situation in Gaza, and regional developments, the sources said.

Türkiye's Communications Director, Fahrettin Altun, "strongly" condemned the radical Israeli storming on his X account.

Stating that “the vile attack” on the Al-Aqsa Mosque is unacceptable, Altun urged “all of humanity to raise a strong voice against Israel, which feeds on blood and provocation.”

Saying that Tel Aviv’s actions will never go “unpunished,” Altun reiterated Türkiye’s support for the Palestinian people and their cause “to the end.”

Global outrage

Ben Gvir's latest visit drew sharp condemnation from both Muslim countries as well as Western powers, including the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ben Gvir showed "blatant disregard" for the status quo at the site and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent such actions.

"The United States strongly opposes Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount on Aug. 13, which demonstrated blatant disregard for the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites in Jerusalem," Blinken said in a statement Tuesday.

"These provocative actions only exacerbate tensions at a pivotal moment when all focus should be on the ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a cease-fire agreement and secure the release of all hostages and create the conditions for broader regional stability," Blinken added.

Stressing that Netanyahu’s office has made clear that the actions of Ben-Gvir are "inconsistent" with Israeli policy, Blinken said the U.S. will look to the Israeli government to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Jordan's foreign ministry condemned the "storming" of the mosque, calling it a "flagrant violation of international law.".

"The continual violations of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its sanctities require a clear and firm international position that condemns these violations," ministry spokesperson Sufyan al-Qudah said in a statement.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, an umbrella group of Muslim-majority states, "strongly condemned" the incident and said it was a "provocation to the feelings of Muslims all over the world.".

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the U.N. was "against any efforts to change the status quo within the holy sites.".

"This sort of behavior is unhelpful, and it is unduly provocative," he added.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell posted on X that the bloc "strongly condemns the provocations" by Ben Gvir.

France's foreign ministry said in a statement: "This new provocation is unacceptable."

Images posted on social media networks showed Ben Gvir inside the compound while several Israelis lay on the ground performing Talmudic rituals.

Ben Gvir released a video statement on X, which he filmed inside the compound himself, renewing his opposition to any truce in the Gaza war.

"We must win this war. We must win and not go to the talks in Doha or Cairo," he said, referring to the U.S.-backed negotiations for a truce and hostage release deal for Gaza set to resume on Thursday.