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The Hamas terror group, which has close ties with Turkey, has fired dozens of rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip and bases in neighboring Lebanon since the clashes began, prompting retaliatory air strikes by Israel. On Tuesday, Israeli police entered Al-Aqsa after masked youths barricaded themselves inside the mosque with weapons and refused to come out peacefully. Video footage of police apparently beating Palestinians in the mosque went viral, sparking outrage across the Muslim world.
In his call with Raisi, Erdogan emphasized the need for common sense to prevent a new spiral of violence, stating that it would be beneficial to take initiatives to guide all parties to common sense. He also called on Raisi to jointly continue efforts in international platforms, particularly in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the UN, to preserve the status of holy places.
This stance represents an apparent shift for Erdogan, who had been leading a policy over the past year that saw Turkey warm its ties with Israel. During that time, however, Turkish officials warned that deteriorations in the Israeli-Palestinian situation would lead to similar trends in Jerusalem-Ankara ties.
Erdogan's comments followed earlier criticism from his Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who condemned the attacks on the Palestinian people and stated that "normalization with Israel has begun, but our commitment cannot be at the expense of the Palestinian cause and our principles." Israel has been trying to mitigate the impact of the clashes on ties with Turkey and Arab nations.
Once robust regional allies, Israel and Turkey saw their ties fray during Erdogan's tenure. The countries reciprocally withdrew their ambassadors in 2010 after Israeli forces were attacked when they boarded a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for the Palestinians that attempted to break an Israeli blockade, resulting in the deaths of 10 Turkish citizens. Relations slowly improved but broke down again in 2018 after Turkey recalled its envoy from Israel in response to the US moving its embassy to Jerusalem.
However, Erdogan has changed his tone in recent years, leading to the restoration of full diplomatic ties. Erdogan has likely been seeking to thaw relations with Israel to reduce Turkey's growing political and economic isolation. The Turkish currency has plummeted in recent years, leaving Turkey in economic turmoil with an election slated for 2023.
The Temple Mount has long been a flashpoint for Mideast violence, and the clashes raise fears of a wider conflagration. The Temple Mount is revered by Jews as the historic location of the two Jewish Temples, making it Judaism's holiest site. It is also the third-holiest site for Muslims, who refer to it as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound or the Noble Sanctuary.
