Raisi Calls for Muslim Convergence against ‘Israeli’ Atrocities

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian President Sayyed Ebrahim Raisi called for a convergence in the Muslim world against the atrocities of the Zionist regime as the occupation forces assaulted unarmed worshippers at al-Aqsa Mosque.

During a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, Raisi strongly slammed the recent attacks of the ‘Israeli’ forces against al-Aqsa Mosque as a desecration of the holy place. He also slammed the ‘Israeli’ aggressions on Syria and Lebanon.

Raisi reiterated the call for holding an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation [OIC] to discuss ways to confront the brutal actions of the ‘Israeli’ regime.

Stressing the need to respect the territorial integrity of regional countries, the Iranian president underlined that the most important approach to confront terrorism and separatism is to support the national sovereignty of states.

For his part, Erdogan called for Muslim unity to support Palestine. "The Islamic world should be united against ‘Israel's’ attacks in Palestine," he said, according to the Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications.

Noting that reasonable thinking could prevent a new cycle of violence in Palestine, Erdogan said adopting common sense will be beneficial for all sides.

He also called on Tehran to continue efforts to preserve the status of holy places, including al-Aqsa Mosque, at international organizations.

The conversations came amid a new wave of ‘Israeli’ hostilities against Palestinian people during the fasting month of Ramadan.

On Wednesday night, and for a second night in a row, heavily-armed ‘Israeli’ forces stormed Muslims' third holiest site and removed peaceful worshippers who were staying at the site to observe Itikaf, a non-mandatory ritual usually held in Ramadan.

Videos from the raid on Tuesday show the occupation forces brutally beating defenseless worshipers with batons and riot guns. Dozens of Palestinians were wounded and arrested in the attack.

Many Muslim countries and organizations have strongly condemned the latest aggression, calling on international bodies to stop ‘Israeli’ crimes and protect the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The regime forces also launched attacks on targets in Lebanon and Gaza on Thursday following the firing of retaliatory rockets over the regime’s attacks on Palestinian worshippers inside al-Aqsa.

The OIC is set to hold an emergency, open-ended meeting of the Executive Committee at the level of Permanent Representatives, on Saturday at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the ‘Israeli’ incursions and attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque.