The Islamic world should be united against Israel’s attacks in Palestine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Iranian counterpart on Friday.
Erdogan and Ebrahim Raisi spoke over the phone and discussed Türkiye-Iran relations and regional issues, including Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem, Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said in a statement.
Emphasizing that common sense should prevail to prevent a new spiral of violence, Erdogan said that it would be beneficial to take initiatives to guide all parties to common sense.
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Calling on Raisi to jointly continue efforts in international platforms, especially in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the UN, to preserve the status of holy places, Erdogan said it is important to demonstrate unity, particularly in the face of recent acts such as the burning of the holy Quran in European cities.
In a telephone conversation with his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, on Thursday, Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, denounced Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem.
Raisi told Widodo that “supporting” the rights of Palestinians and “fighting” Israel is an “unchangeable principle in the structure of the Islamic Ummah,” describing Palestine as a “beating heart of the Islamic world”.
Raisi emphasised the importance of holding an emergency session of the 57-member body of Muslim countries on the prevailing situation in Palestine.
He further stressed that unity of the Islamic world is essential to “confront Israeli aggression” while reaffirming Iran’s support to efforts at strengthening unity between Muslim countries.
The statement further said the Indonesian President welcomed the proposal to convene the special OIC summit and “make a joint decision to defend Palestine”.
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Tensions have been running high in East Jerusalem after Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque for the second time on Wednesday after arresting hundreds of Palestinians during the first raid.
The raids came as Palestinian Muslims were offering special Ramadan prayers at Al-Aqsa and Jews were celebrating Passover, which prompted Palestinian groups in Gaza to launch rocket attacks in retaliation.
During the second raid on Wednesday, Israeli forces reportedly tossed stun grenades and forced Muslim worshipers to leave.
The incidents have drawn widespread condemnation from Muslim countries, with Jordan on Wednesday calling for an extraordinary meeting of the Arab League to discuss the developments.