Representatives from key Muslim nations have met in Turkey following weeks of controversy over Israeli actions at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Tensions erupted after Israel installed metal detectors there following the shooting of two Israeli policemen.
After international condemnation, Israel removed the detectors.
Speaking at the meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in İstanbu, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said that the measures imposed by Israel “complicated the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.”
“Closing Al-Aqsa mosque for worshippers is a violation against the feelings of Muslims all over the world. It’s a horrible development which can make the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories more complicated.”
At the same meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Israel had taken “a step toward common sense” after it reversed its decision to install metal detectors at the entranc.
“We hope that from now on Israel adopts an attitude that fully takes into consideration Muslims’ sensitivities surrounding Jerusalem and the Holy Sites.”
The Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest shrine, sits in the heart of the Old City. It is also the holiest place in Judaism.
Israel captured East Jerusalem, including the Old City and the holy compound, in the 1967 Middle East war. It annexed the area in a move that has never been recognised internationally.
Israel said the measures were needed for security, while Palestinians called them an effort to put the site under Israeli control.
The removal of the metal detectors was welcomed by the Arab world, but disturbances quickly resumed when thousands of Muslim worshippers surged back into the mosque.