Speaking To Eli Cohen, Turkish Foreign Minister Told Him That Israel's Defense Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Provocative Action At Al Aqsa Mosque Could Not Be Accepted

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu walked to the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) in Nusa Dua, Bali (8/7/2022). (ANTARA PHOTO)

JAKARTA - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen that Israel's provocative actions against the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem were unacceptable. "We consider Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's provocative actions against the Al Aqsa Mosque unacceptable," Cavusoglu told Cohen by telephone, as quoted by the Turkish Foreign Ministry by Anadolu via Antara, Thursday, January 5. Given Turkey's attention and hope for the Palestinian cause, Cavusoglu called for all types of provocative actions to be avoided, including the importance of maintaining the status of the Al Aqsa Mosque. Israel's newly appointed National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al Aqsa Mosque complex on Tuesday despite warnings that the move would spark chaos and storm criticism from countries around the world. For Muslims, Al Aqsa is the third holiest place in the world after the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque in Saudi Arabia. Jews refer to the area as the Holy Bait Hill (Temple Mount), which they thought was the place of two Jewish temples in ancient times. Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al Aqsa was, during the Arab-Israeli War in 1967. Israel later annexed the entire city in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.