Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday urged Muslims to defend the Palestinian cause and the holy al-Aqsa Mosque striking a tough stance on the Israeli violations.
Speaking at a parliamentary symposium on Jerusalem in Istanbul the Turkish leader said as he hailed the Palestinian people: “I am happy to have you here in my home country.”
“It is the common duty of all Muslims to embrace the Palestinian cause and protect Jerusalem” Erdogan noted.
He added that safeguarding the al-Aqsa Mosque should not be left to children armed with nothing but stones.
“The al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are for Muslims only” said Erdogan.
He also criticized an Israeli proposal to make mosques silence the call to prayer in Occupied Jerusalem.
Erdogan leveled heavy criticism at the U.N. for adopting a biased position as regards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“We look forward to immediate steps to retrieve Palestinians’ historical lands” he stated. “We will not remain mum over the Israeli practices and violations that infringe Muslims’ freedom of worship and violate the sanctity of the al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Parliamentarians for Jerusalem Conference kicked off on Tuesday morning in the Turkish city of Istanbul under the auspices of the Turkish parliament.
The conference started in the presence of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and dozens of Arab and Islamic parliamentary figures.
415 MPs from more than 40 countries participated in the conference with the aim of discussing means of supporting Occupied Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause.
