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Turkish official claims ‘regional parties’ are Involved in Israeli measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque

July 24, 2017 at 10:56 am

Israeli security forces attack Palestinians after Muslim worshippers perform Friday prayer, outside Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound 20 July 2017 [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency]

A senior official of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party has accused “regional parties” of complicity in Israel’s oppressive measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Al-Resalah.net has reported. What is happening there, said Yasin Aktay, is nothing less than “a crime”.

The deputy leader of the AK Party told Al-Resalah on Sunday that while the Arab and Islamic world has been consumed with its own problems, especially the plotting of various parties to spark regional crises, Israel has taken advantage and basically invaded Al-Aqsa Mosque. The weakness of the Arab and Islamic world has facilitated this, said Aktay, with near total silence from governments, some of whom appear to have conspired against any response and, indeed, approved of the Israeli moves. Israeli officials have confirmed that there was coordination with Arab parties in the steps taken at Al-Aqsa.

“There are some parties that have disposed of their dignity,” said the Turkish official, “and we expect even worse from them. At the end of the day, if these parties do not care about their own honour and self-respect, and the Arabs, then let them do whatever they want, but the Arab people are fully engaged emotionally with Jerusalem.” Aktay added that the liberation of Palestine requires first and foremost the “decontamination” of so many of the positions taken by Islamic and Arab states.

Read: Arabs are too busy with in-fighting, says Al-Aqsa imam

He stressed that his country’s position is unswerving towards Jerusalem’s Islamism and Arabism. He rejected all of the actions and crimes committed by the Israeli occupation in the holy city. He also pointed out that Ankara is still painstakingly doing its best to put pressure on Israel to stop these violations.

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Aktay applauded the Palestinian Intifada which defends the holy land on behalf of the peoples of the Arab and Islamic worlds. Last Friday, four young people were martyred and thousands of citizens were injured in the confrontations that took place in support of Al-Aqsa.

Turkey signed an agreement with Israel last year to re-establish political and commercial relations which were cut following the attack by Israeli commandos on the Freedom Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in 2010. Ten Turkish activists were killed as a direct result of the assault.