Muslim world must unite against Israel, Erdogan says to Iran's Raisi

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi over the phone that the “Islamic world should be united against Israel’s attacks in Palestine,” Turkish media reported.

The two world leaders also discussed the incidents at the al-Aqsa mosque and Iranian-Turkish relations, the report said. The Turkish president also noted the importance to preserve the status of holy areas and emphasized “reasonable thinking” in order to prevent further escalation of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories, sources said.

Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen then told his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu the same day that the IDF will respond to any attempt to terrorize civilians. The incident came during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and on the eve of the Jewish Passover.

Additional condemnations by Erdogan

Erdogan condemned the Israeli police’s actions at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on Wednesday, calling such acts in the mosque compound a “red line” for Turkey.

“I condemn the vile acts against the first qiblah of Muslims in the name of my country and people, and I call for the attacks to be halted as soon as possible,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan pose for a picture before a meeting of leaders from the three guarantor states of the Astana process, designed to find a peace settlement in Syria crisis, in Tehran, Iran July 19, 2022. (credit: Sputnik/Sergei Savostyanov/Pool via REUTERS)

Erdogan also condemned the US ambassador to Turkey for meeting with the main opposition alliance’s presidential candidate less than two months before elections in the country.