Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday condemned Israel amid Palestinian Islamist violence against Israeli police on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.
Abdullah criticized Israel for allowing Jews to enter the site and asked him to respect “the historical and legal status quo” of the site, according to a statement from the Royal Hashemite Court.
“His Majesty King Abdullah II directs the government to continue regional and international efforts to stop the Israeli escalation and push for an international position that puts pressure on Israel,” the statement said.
Police entered the Temple Mount on Sunday morning as hundreds of Palestinians tried to stop Jews from visiting the holy site in the Old City, just two days after an earlier round of Palestinian attacks there.
Also on Sunday morning, Palestinians pelted several Egged buses on the outskirts of the Old City with stones on their way to the Western Wall, smashing windows and injuring several passengers, including a 13-year-old girl. Apparently, ten buses were attacked for two hours.
According to police, hundreds of Palestinians – many with their faces covered – stored stones in the Al-Aqsa compound that they planned to use along with iron bars and makeshift barricades to attack Jews visiting the Temple Mount.
According to the Red Crescent, 17 Palestinians were treated for injuries sustained in clashes with police at the site on Sunday morning, five of whom were taken to hospital. Police said nine Palestinians were arrested.
Police said officers worked to distance Palestinians and allow visits to the Temple Mount to go ahead, and Jewish visitors were later seen touring the site.
Jordan has long maintained that its treaties with Israel give it custody of Jerusalem’s Christian and Muslim holy sites; although Israel has never accepted this claim, grants daily administration of the Temple Mount to the Jordanian-funded Waqf.
Many Jews head to the Western Wall and the Old City during Passover week, which begins on Friday night. Non-Muslims can only visit the Temple Mount during certain hours and are prohibited from praying there, historically the holiest in Judaism and the third in Islam according to a legend that is not in the Koran.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that Israeli forces have “a free hand” to continue operations to maintain security, while stressing that officials were working to restore calm.
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Following an assessment of the situation with officials and defense ministers, Bennett said an effort must be made to allow members of all faiths to celebrate their holidays in Jerusalem, while at the same time “continuing to deal with rioters who violate public order”.
Before Abdullah’s court statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “Israel’s moves to change the status quo on the Mount are a dangerous escalation. Israel bears full responsibility for the consequences of the current escalation that is frustrating the efforts invested to achieve calm.”
“The Israel Police have no right to organize visits by non-Muslims there. Only the Muslim Waqf has it,” the ministry added.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on the United States to intervene in the matter.
“The administration [estadounidense] he must break his silence in the face of this aggression that threatens to set the region on fire,” said a statement from his office. “The international community must intervene immediately to give protection to the Palestinian people.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Abbas on Sunday and condemned Israel’s “intervention against the faithful of the Al-Aqsa Mosque” and its “provocations”.
The Turkish leader added in a tweet that his country “will always stand by the Palestinians.”
Israel and Turkey, once strong regional allies, have seen their ties deteriorate under Erdogan as the Turkish president has openly criticized Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians.
Israel has resented Erdogan’s warm relations with Hamas, the terror group that controls the Gaza Strip.
Both countries reciprocally withdrew their ambassadors in 2010, after Israeli forces were attacked boarding a Gaza-bound Islamist flotilla carrying knives and iron bars, disguised as “humanitarian aid” to Palestinians, and 10 were killed. Turkish Islamists in the subsequent confrontation.
Relations slowly improved but broke again in 2018, after Turkey, angered by the US embassy’s move to Jerusalem, again withdrew its envoy from Israel, prompting Israel to hit back.
In the latest sign of attempts to restore ties, President Isaac Herzog visited Turkey last month in a historic 24-hour visit.
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