ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday said that Israeli settlers were one of the main obstacles to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“One of the biggest obstacles to the solution is the actions of the usurpers, known as settlers, who attacked and stole the Palestinian land,” Erdogan said in a press conference on the sidelines of a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.
Erdogan, a staunch defender of the Palestinian cause, also called for unrestricted access to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during the fasting month of Ramadan, which is set to begin on March 10 or 11 this year.
He said: “The requests of radical Israeli politicians to limit the entry of Muslims are completely absurd. The consequences of such an action will undoubtedly be severe.
Abbas said Ramadan will start soon and it is known that extremist settlers go to al-Aqsa and carry out attacks there.
The Zionist regime announced on Tuesday that it will allow the largest number of Muslim worshipers to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque during the first week of the holy month of Ramadan, as in previous years, and will assess the situation weekly.
Every year, tens of thousands of Muslim worshipers perform Ramadan prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque. Known to Jews as the Temple Mount, this place is sacred to both Jews and Muslims.
This year’s Ramadan comes as Israel has launched a relentless military operation in the Gaza Strip in response to a deadly attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir recently said that Palestinian residents of the West Bank “should not be allowed” to enter Jerusalem to pray during Ramadan.
Ben Gvir leads a far-right party that supports Jewish control of the site.
A few days later, the United States asked Israel to allow Muslims to pray at al-Aqsa.
Abbas is in Turkey to discuss the Gaza war and reconciliation efforts between Palestinian factions.
