Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog shake hands during a joint news conference in Ankara, Turkey March 9, 2022. Photo: Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

i24 News – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday that his country will “maintain its ties with Israel despite the incidents at Al-Aqsa Mosque because strong relations with Israel are key to defending Palestinian rights.”

“Israel is an important player in the region that cannot be ignored,” he said.

These remarks were made the day after a telephone call with his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog, in which he had warned against the “threats” weighing, according to him, on the “status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque” in Jerusalem.

Since Friday, clashes have taken place between Israeli security forces and Palestinian rioters in the compound and near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. The incidents come nearly a year after similar tensions sparked an 11-day conflict between Israel and armed terror groups in Gaza.

Erdogan said on his Twitter account that he told Herzog that “the fact that Al-Aqsa Mosque was attacked by fanatical groups after morning prayers yesterday and the day before … and the tension in Gaza have reinforced our sadness.”

“At this sensitive time, I would like to stress once again the need not to allow provocations and threats against the status and spirituality of Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the Turkish president added.

Israel and Turkey have heralded a new era in their relationship after more than a decade of diplomatic rift, following Herzog’s historic visit to Ankara in March.