Israel emphasizes ‘need for international support for returning calm to Jerusalem’
Israel’s leadership engaged in a flurry of phone calls and diplomatic activity after facing heavy criticism from Arab and Muslim countries over Israel’s presence on the Temple Mount.
A Palestinian rioter raises his hands in a “V” for “victory” near the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Photo by Sliman Khader/Flash90
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke on Tuesday evening with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about “Israel’s efforts to ensure freedom of worship in Jerusalem.”
Lapid emphasized what he termed “Israel’s responsible and measured efforts in the face of riots by hundreds of Islamic extremists on the Temple Mount, as well as falsehoods and disinformation spread by extremists who are fanning the flames of violence instead of bringing about calm.”
He further told Blinken that “Israel will not tolerate calls in support of violence,” and he “emphasized the need for international support for returning calm to Jerusalem.”
Blinken said they discussed “de-escalating tensions in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.”
Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for International Cooperation, summoned Amir Hayek, Israel’s Ambassador to the UAE, and informed him of the country’s “strong protest and denunciation of the events taking place in Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque, including attacks on civilians and incursions into holy places that resulted in the injury of a number of civilians.”
Al Hashemy “stressed the need to immediately stop these events, provide full protection for worshipers, respect the right of Palestinians to practice their religious rites, and halt any practices that violate the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque.”
She also “expressed concern over the escalation of tension that threatens stability and security in the region.”
She did mention the attacks on the Jews in Jerusalem.
She also “underscored the need to respect the custodial role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan over the holy sites and endowments in accordance with international law and the historical situation at hand.”
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israel’s President Isaac Herzog spoke following Erdogan’s request for a conversation.
Herzog said that the conversation was “conducted in a good and open spirit.”
Erdogan said that they discussed “regional issues and bilateral relations, especially the events caused by some Israeli radical groups and the security forces in Palestine in recent days.”
Turkey is “deeply saddened by the fact that more than 400 Palestinians were injured and 18 people, including children, lost their lives in the events that took place in the West Bank and Masjid al-Aqsa since the beginning of the month of Ramadan,” Erdogan said.
He was apparently relating to the Muslim rioters on the Temple Mount and terrorists killed by the IDF.
“The fact that Masjid al-Aqsa was raided by fanatical groups after the morning prayers, and that unwanted images were experienced as a result of the interventions, and that the tension spread to Gaza increased our sadness,” he said. “While the holidays should be lived in a festive mood, these images, which are encountered every year because of some radicals, hurt the consciences and cause justifiable reactions in the entire Islamic world.”
