Erdogan condemns ‘heinous terrorist attacks’ in Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the “heinous terrorist attacks Israel has seen in recent days,” offering condolences to the people who lost their lives and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, Anadolu Agency reported on Friday.

In a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Erdogan stressed the importance of access to the holy city of Jerusalem and its Islamic sites.

He said that Palestinians must be allowed to enter Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque and other sites in Israel during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The Turkish president reiterated that he expects Israeli authorities to keep Al-Aqsa Mosque open for worship 24 hours a day during the last ten days of Ramadan and to close it to non-Muslim visitors.

Erdogan also said that he hopes Herzog and all Jews have a peaceful Passover, a Jewish holiday that begins mid-April.

On Tuesday, five people were killed in a shooting attack in the city of Bnei Brak, the third deadly assault in recent weeks.

Four others were killed in a knife assault in the city of Beersheba on 22 March, and two police officers were killed when two attackers opened fire in the city of Hadera on Sunday.

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