Temple Mount crisis: anti-Israel protests in Turkey and Jordan
Tensions around Israel's decision to bolster security around the Temple Mount continue to strain, as large protests in Turkey and Jordan denounce Israel's decisions on the holy site and the political leader of Hamas calls on Arab world to intervene.
Demonstrations in support of Palestinian worshipers in support of their struggle against the new Temple Mount security measures were held Friday in Jordan and Turkey.
In Amman, Jordan, thousands gathered and shouted epithets against Israel.
According to reports, the crowd shouted, among other things, "How beautiful it is to kill soldiers from Jerusalem," with some waving a model of a cardboard missile with the words "Al-Aqsa - Red Line."
Another demonstration was held in Istanbul, where Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim condemned the use of metal detectors at the entrance gates to the Temple Mount.
"The security measures taken by Israel are wrong," he said. "Blocking Muslims from entering the compound will not contribute to finding a solution to the issue."
In his weekly sermon, senior political leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh appealed to Arab nations to intervene.
"Where are you, a nation of a billion people, while the prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque are being prevented? Where are the Arab summits while the mosque is filthy with settlers?"
Haniyeh went on to say that "the campaign in Jerusalem is a campaign of the Palestinian people and of the Arab and Islamic nation. The anger in the streets of Jerusalem is a response to the Palestinian issue. The metal detectors are harming the Palestinian people and we will not allow it."
Haniyeh then praised the residents of Jerusalem and the Arabs of Israel "for refusing to surrender to the steps of the occupation in the Al-Aqsa Mosque," claiming that "this campaign will end with the victory of the Palestinian people. We can withstand any challenge."
According to Haniyeh, "the cameras, the checkpoints and the gates, are aimed at establishing Israel's control over the mosque and restoring the plan to divide it."
He expressed his support of Muslim faithful who refused to enter the Temple Mount through the metal detectors, saying "the only language that the Israeli occupation knows is the language of force," and so Palestinians must speak in their language, as "the decision of the Israeli cabinet proves that the dreams of peace and normalization have collapsed."
Haniyeh then called on Turkish President Erdogan, who is also chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to formulate a comprehensive plan to combat the "Israeli conspiracies" regarding the Temple Mount.
The Hamas leader then appealed to King Abdullah of Jordan and called on him to shoulder his responsibility for the recent events in Jerusalem.
Shortly after the protests and Haniyeh's sermon, clashes ensued between Palestinian protestors in the West Bank and Israeli security forces, which later escalated into riots in which 3 Palestinian protestors lost their lives, dozens more were injured and several Israeli police officers were wounded.
