More Turks should visit Jerusalem: Senior AK Party MP

Turks paying visits to the holy lands should make sure to include Jerusalem, according to a senior lawmaker of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Wednesday, Hasan Turan, the head of parliament's Turkey-Palestine parliamentary friendship group, also called on Turkish travel agencies to arrange more religious and cultural tours to Jerusalem.

"If they do this, they will see more and more visits to the Palestinian territories," he added.

Turan said that Palestinians would be happy to see Turkish citizens visiting Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque (Sanctuary of Abraham or Cave of the Patriarchs) in nearby Hebron.

"I call on every citizen going on a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, or going abroad for religious, cultural, and travel tours, or making tourist trips abroad, to visit Palestine and Jerusalem," said Turan.

"We should never forsake Jerusalem, Jerusalem is our greatness, honor, and red line," he added.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the Jewish state, in a move never recognized by the international community.