Turkey to start UN initiative to end Israeli offensive

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed to Palestinian leaders that Turkey will start an initiative at the UN Security Council to stop the Israeli aggression in Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

According to presidential sources, the Turkish President said ending the attacks by Israeli troops and Jewish settlers in Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is of the utmost importance for regional peace, in phone conversations with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal on Wednesday night.

On Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also called on all Muslims to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque, saying Jerusalem – or Quds for Muslims – could not be “monopolized by a single religion.”

A group of Israeli security forces and a number of Jewish settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem on Wednesday, according to Palestinian officials.

A Palestinian guard of the holy complex said Israeli security forces stormed into the compound’s courtyards through the Al-Magharbeh and Al-Silsila gates and began shooting randomly towards the worshippers and religious students, leaving scores injured.

The violence came as several extremist Jewish groups called for mass intrusions into Al-Aqsa Mosque after the shooting a week ago of a rabbi, Yehuda Glick, who many considered to have extremist views, in Jerusalem by a Palestinian man.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world’s third holiest site, while Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount, deeming it to be the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

An agreement in June ended seven years of division between rival Hamas and Fatah factions, which had led to the establishment of two separate seats of government, with Fatah in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza.