Erdogan, Herzog to speak amid Israeli intervention against Palestinians

Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, will hold a call with Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, on Tuesday, after Israeli interventions on Palestinian worshippers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque last week, Turkey’s Foreign Minister said, Reuters reports.

According to the report, Erdogan’s comments come amid efforts by Turkey and Israel in recent weeks to normalise their long-strained ties, as part of a regional charm offensive launched by Ankara in 2020.

“We have already made our statements and we are continuing our contacts in response to the unacceptable attacks by Israeli security forces in the West Bank and Al-Aqsa,” Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, told a news conference in Ankara.

“We support all kinds of normalisation steps that will contribute to the formation of a belt of peace and stability in our immediate environment,” Erdogan said.

Last Friday, at least 152 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli riot police inside Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The latest outbreak in a recent upsurge of violence has raised fears of a slide back to wider conflict.

OPINION: This Ramadan, we must continue to speak out against Palestinian suffering