Herzog tells Erdogan regional leaders should be calming tensions

President Isaac Herzog has spoken to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan about tensions and fighting centered around Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif.

According to an Israeli statement, Herzog told Erdogan about Israel’s efforts to protect freedom of worship for all religions, including Muslims, and says leaders should condemn violence of all types, including against Jews attacked on their way to pray at the Western Wall.

“President Herzog added that we must not listen to the voices of incitement and mendacious propaganda, and that the public is looking up to the region’s leaders and expects us all to act responsibly and work for calm in these holy days for all religions in the region,” the statement reads.

It says the talks were “conducted in a good and open spirit.”

According to Israel, Erdogan stressed the importance of the site to Muslims, but “was happy to hear the Israeli leadership’s firm statements about maintaining” the status quo.

The two agreed to continue contacts, even in times of frayed ties, the Israeli statement says.

A statement from Erdogan’s office emphasizes his unhappiness over what he terms raids by Israeli extremists and police into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, but refrains from some of the more inflammatory language that colored the Israel-Turkey relationship in the past, before the sides began to test out thawing their ties.