"Turkey will maintain its ties with Israel despite the incidents at Al-Aqsa Mosque because strong relations with Israel are key to defending Palestinian rights," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
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"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 Israeli President Isaac Herzog, in which Erdogan 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.
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The incidents come nearly a year after similar tensions sparked an 11-day conflict between Israel and armed terror groups in the Gaza Strip.
On Twitter, the Turkish leader said he had 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.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
