Sunday, May 09, 2021
Erdogan sees “terrorist state”
New violence on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem
Evictions in a neighborhood in Jerusalem lead to furious clashes between Palestinian youth and the police. The Turkish President Erdogan incites his compatriots and all Muslims against Israel. The Temple Mount is at the center of the unrest.
For the second night in a row, violent clashes between security forces and Palestinians broke out in Jerusalem. In the clashes on the Temple Mount (Al-Haram al-Sharif / The Noble Sanctuary), according to Israeli media reports, the police used rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades against Palestinians throwing stones. According to the newspaper “Haaretz”, tens of thousands of Muslims took part in the evening prayer in the Al-Aqsa Mosque at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. According to the Palestinian Rescue Service, the Red Crescent, 64 Palestinians were injured by police violence, including several children. Similar clashes occurred in East Jerusalem.
The Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is both the third holiest site in Islam and of great importance in Judaism, because two Jewish temples used to stand there, the last of which was destroyed by the Romans in 70. The Western Wall is a remnant of that ruined temple and the holiest place for the Jews.
Tensions in Ramadan
The situation around the old town and the Sheikh Jarrah district had already escalated on Saturday night, and the violence here was also concentrated on the Temple Mount area. There was then talk of more than 200 injured, the police said that over a dozen security forces had been injured in action. The situation in the West Bank and in the eastern part of Jerusalem has been tense since the beginning of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. Many Palestinians are angry because Israeli police cordoned off areas of the old city to prevent gatherings. In addition, some Palestinian families are threatened with evictions by Israeli authorities, adding to tensions.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered along the border with Israel in the Palestinian Gaza Strip. Militant Palestinians are said to have fired at least one rocket from the Gaza Strip at Israel, which landed in the open, the military announced. It remained quiet on the Temple Mount on Saturday evening, where Muslim believers prayed after breaking the fast in the evening without incident.
Erdogan calls for protest
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued to heat the conflict and described Israel as a “terrorist state”. In Istanbul he called on all Muslim states and the international community to take effective steps against Israel. “The cruel Israel, the terror state of Israel mercilessly and immorally attacks Muslims in Jerusalem.”
Turkey has asked the UN, the Organization for Islamic Cooperation and other organizations to take action. In front of the Israeli embassy in Ankara, hundreds protested against the actions of the security forces in Jerusalem on Friday evening.
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