Protest held in Turkey against Israeli attacks

By Halis Akyildiz

ISTANBUL (AA) – A protest was staged outside the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul on Saturday against Israeli attacks in occupied East Jerusalem's neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The protesters held Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanted slogans such as “Palestinians are not alone.”

“Where are you the World ?....You say human rights, you say the International Criminal Court, why do you keep silent about this persecution?” Bulent Yildirim, head of the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), a Turkish charity, said at the protest.

Yildirim called on people to protest against Israel across Turkey in order to support Palestinian people.

Israeli police attempted to disperse worshippers inside the Haram al-Sharif area of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, using stun grenades and gas bombs.

Police attacked Muslim worshippers inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque while worshippers were performing tarawih -- special night prayers -- during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

More than 205 people were injured in Israeli attacks at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Damascus Gate of the Old City, and Sheikh Jarrah district on Friday, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan