Erdogan demands Muslim leaders convene summit over Temple Mount ‘expansionism’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to convene an emergency summit to discuss the war in Gaza and what he called Israel’s attacks on Jerusalem.

Erdogan, who has been a vocal critic of Israel since the start of its war against Hamas, following the terror group’s October 7 attack, called on Islamic countries to form an alliance against what he described as Israel’s “expansionism.”

Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdogan accused Israel of targeting the Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as part of its “expansionist” drive. Actions affecting the flashpoint site are Ankara’s “red line,” the president added.

The OIC has 57 member states, and claims to be the collective voice of the Muslim world.

“It is unthinkable for the OIC, whose duty is to take care of the Jerusalem cause, to remain indifferent to these attacks. It is urgent that the organization convenes at the leadership level without losing more time,” Erdogan said.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visits the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, on Tisha B’Av, August 13, 2024. (Courtesy Otzma Yehudit)

On Monday, Netanyahu stated during the start of his cabinet meeting that ministers in his government should not visit the site without his prior approval, a day after a report emerged that security chiefs have warned that Palestinian anger over the Temple Mount issue could trigger a major escalation of violence.

The Temple Mount, considered the holiest place in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, draws strong emotions and is frequently invoked as a motivation for religious violence.

Erdogan also said Monday that Turkey would apply to the International Court of Justice in The Hague over Israel’s killing of a Turkish-American woman, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, at a protest in the West Bank last week.

“We will take every legal step for her blood not to remain on the ground,” Erdogan said. “The genocide-committing Israeli leadership will absolutely be held accountable for the crimes it has committed.”

According to the IDF, during operations near the town of Beita close to Nablus, troops opened fire at a “main instigator” who was hurling stones at the forces and had “posed a threat.” The military said it was investigating the matter further, while her family has demanded an independent probe into her death.