Turkey and Egypt issued statements Thursday condemning an Israeli court that a day earlier had ruled that Jews were allowed to pray silently on the Temple Mount.
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The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism and houses the third-holiest site for Muslims – Al-Aqsa Mosque. Jews have until now been banned from praying at the flashpoint site in an attempt to maintain the fragile status quo in the capital.
"We strongly condemn the Israeli court's ruling that Jews are allowed to pray silently in Al-Aqsa Mosque," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding it worried the decision might "undermine the status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque and cause renewed tensions."
"We call on the international community to strongly oppose this wrong, illegal and dangerous ruling, and all provocations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque," the statement read.
Echoing similar sentiment, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the ruling was "a violation of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, a site for Muslim worship only. We condemn the decision and stress the need to respect the historical and legal status of Jerusalem, as well as its holy sites for Muslims and Christians, in accordance with the legitimate international decisions of the United Nations and UNESCO."
It called on the Israeli government to refrain from taking steps that would go against the status quo.
The last time Turkey criticized the Israeli legal system was in April – which coincided with Ramadan this year – when Ankara condemned Jerusalem for its actions in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket launches by Hamas into Israeli territory.
"It is worrisome that the policy of repression and violence against the Palestinian people is intensifying during Ramadan," Ankara said in a statement at the time. "The Israeli government is making it difficult for the Palestinian people to pray during Ramadan."
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