Turkish and Egyptian FMs discuss Al-Aqsa on the phone

The Turkish and Egyptian foreign ministers spoke on the phone this Sunday on the recent tension over Israeli restrictions around Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to diplomatic sources.

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Sameh Shoukry discussed the latest developments at the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Çavuşoğlu on Saturday had also discussed Al-Aqsa on the phone with his Pakistani, Uzbek, and Jordanian counterparts.

Recent unrest and protests in Jerusalem and the West Bank have followed the installation of new metal detectors at the gates of Al-Aqsa, which Israel claims is a standard security measure in response to a shootout that left two Israeli police officers and three Palestinians dead.

The city of Jerusalem is sacred to members of all there Abrahamic faiths -- Muslims, Jews, and Christians -- and the Al-Aqsa Mosque represents the Islamic world's third-holiest site.