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Erdogan: 'Come, let's all protect Jerusalem'
7-26-2017
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday urged all Muslims to visit and protect Jerusalem.
The remarks came after Israel installed metal detectors, which they later removed after violence broke out over installations in the sensitive holy site in the city.
Muslim leaders in Jerusalem, however, rejected the announcement, demanding that arrangements go back to how they were before the new measures were announced.
"No entry into al-Aqsa mosque until after an assessment by a Waqf technical committee and the return of the situation to how it was before the 14th of this month," read a statement from the Waqf, the Islamic endowments organisation which administers the mosque compound.
“From here I make a call to all Muslims. Anyone who has the opportunity should visit Jerusalem, Al Aqsa mosque,” Erdogan said in Ankara, adding: “Come, let's all protect Jerusalem.”
"They are attempting to take the mosque from Muslim hands on the pretext of fighting terrorism. There is no other explanation," Erdogan said in a speech to ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers in parliament.
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