Al-Aqsa Mosque’s preacher Sheikh Ekrima Sabri condemned on Monday criticisms of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leveled recently by Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Sheikh Sabri attributed Netanyahu’s remarks to the fact that Israel “doesn’t want any country to support the Palestinian cause”.

“Israel is used to distorting the facts,” he asserted. “But the world knows the truth.”

The Palestinians, he added, “appreciate the Turkish people, president and government for their steadfast support for Palestinian rights, especially in regards to Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the Al-Aqsa Mosque”.

In a raft of Sunday tweets, Netanyahu attacked the Turkish president over Turkey’s counter-terrorism operations in the country’s southeast and the long-running Cyprus issue.

Erdogan responded to Netanyahu’s tirade by describing Israel as a promoter of “state terrorism”.