Turkey slams Israeli minister's remarks on Al-Aqsa

By Mehmet Alaca

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Foreign Ministry on Thursday rejected the remarks made by Gilad Erdan, Israel’s public security minister, to change the historical situation of the Al-Aqsa mosque.

"We completely reject Israeli Public Security Minister's statements on changing the status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque, this is an indication of a distorted mindset," the foreign ministry statement said.

Erdan told Israeli Radio on Tuesday: “I think there is an injustice in the status quo that has existed since 1967.”

“We need to work to change [the status quo] so in the future Jews, with the help of God, can pray at the Temple Mount,” he added.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. In 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community, Israel annexed the entire city, claiming it as the self-proclaimed Jewish state’s “eternal and undivided” capital.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina. Jews refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

*Writing by Dilara Hamit