Fatih Hafız Mehmet
13 March 2019•Update: 13 March 2019
ANKARA
Turkey's foreign minister on Wednesday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fueling discrimination and hate.
Mevlut Cavusoglu said: "@netanyahu helplessly tries to distract attention to hide his legal troubles on charges of bribery & fraud. Meanwhile, he fuels discrimination and hate against citizens of Israel, let alone Palestinians. Pathetic and shameful..."
On Tuesday, Netanyahu said Israel is "a nation state not of all its citizens but only of the Jewish people".
Cavusoglu also responded to the words of Netanyahu's remarks about the Turkish president.
Speaking at an event in the Mediterranean province of Antalya, Cavusoglu said Netanyahu is attacking President Recep Tayyip Erdogan because of his strong stance in leading his country and term presidency of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Cavusoglu said Israeli soldiers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem but nobody reacted against it except Turkey.
"You know, there are 57 members of the OIC. Why are they silent?" Cavusoglu asked.
On Tuesday, Israeli police shut the Al-Aqsa compound on claims of an arson attack on an Israeli police station near the site, triggering clashes with angry Palestinians.
Around 16 Palestinians were injured in the violence, according to Jerusalem’s Religious Endowments Authority.
Israeli police said its forces had arrested 10 Palestinians, including two minors, for allegedly setting the fire.
Tension has mounted in Jerusalem since last month, when Israeli police briefly sealed the Al-Aqsa compound’s Al-Rahma Gate, sparking angry Palestinian demonstrations.
In the weeks since, the Israeli authorities have banned scores of Palestinians -- including religious officials -- from entering the Al-Aqsa, which for Muslims represents the world’s third holiest site.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, in which the Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.
* Sinan Ozmus contributed from Antalya
