Raisi, Erdogan Urge Muslim Unity to Counter Zionists

Date: 08 April 2023 - 22:34

News ID: ۱۱۳۸۱۲

TEHRAN -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has called for convergence in the Muslim world against the atrocities of the occupying regime of Israel after Zionist forces assaulted defenseless worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
During a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Raisi strongly condemned the recent attacks and desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque. He also denounced Israeli aggression against Syria and Lebanon.
The Iranian president renewed his call for an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss putting an end to the atrocities of the occupying regime.
Raisi stressed the need to respect the territorial integrity of the regional countries, saying the most important approach to confront terrorism and separatism is to support national sovereignty of the states.
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.
The Turkish president said rationalism can prevent a new cycle of violence in Palestine and benefit all sides.
Erdogan also called on Raisi to “jointly continue efforts in international platforms, especially in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the UN, to preserve the status of holy places,” according to his office.
“Erdogan said it is important to demonstrate unity, particularly in the face of recent acts such as the burning of the holy Qur’an in European cities,” it added.
The conversation came amid a new wave of Israeli atrocities 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 the third holiest site in Islam and assaulted 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 showed Zionist 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.
On Thursday, the Zionist regime launched attacks on targets in Lebanon and Gaza following the firing of retaliatory rockets at Israeli targets.
The OIC was set to hold an emergency meeting on Saturday at its headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the situation.