ISTANBUL, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Turks joined a rally in Istanbul on Sunday to show solidarity with Palestinians in a dispute with Israel over Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The mass mobilization, dubbed Great Jerusalem Rally, was organized by Turkey's Felicity Party in the city's Yenikapi area and backed by several civil society organizations.
The crowds shouted anti-Israel slogans, carrying Turkish and Palestinian flags, the state-run Anadolu Agency said.
Israel installed metal detectors at entrances to the mosque compound after two Israeli police officers were shot dead on July 14, a move that has set off bloody clashes between the Israelis and Palestinians as well as denunciations from some parts of the world, including Turkey.
Israel removed the detectors on Friday under pressure, while pray at the mosque ended peacefully that day.
"Israel is harming Jerusalem's Islamic character," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week. "Nobody should expect us to remain silent against the double standards in Jerusalem."
Foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is scheduled to hold an extraordinary meeting over the dispute in Istanbul on Tuesday.
