Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected charges that it described as “baseless slander,” made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that it was Judaizing Jerusalem in a “racist and discriminatory” way, in a statement released Tuesday.

Erdogan had vowed that his government would work with the Palestinian Authority to end the “occupation” and “protect Jerusalem against attempts of Judaization”, Newsweek reported Tuesday.

Erdogan called for Muslims to protest the “occupation” by flocking in the hundreds of thousands to the Temple Mount. “As a Muslim community, we need to visit al-Aksa Mosque often. Each day that Jerusalem is under occupation is an insult to us,” Erdogan said.

Erdogan’s initial comments prompted a strongly worded objection from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Those who systematically violate human rights in their own country should not preach to the only true democracy in the region,” the statement read.

“Israel consistently protects total freedom of worship for Jews, Muslims and Christians – and will continue to do so despite the baseless slander launched against it.”

The Jerusalem Post reported on Tuesday that Foreign Ministry Director-General Yuval Rotem spoke on the phone with Turkey’s Ambassador Kemal Okem, at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that diplomatic sources said “they were hopeful the incident was behind them.”

Erdogan’s comments come at a time when Israel and Turkey have restored bilateral relations, after the two countries last year agreed to a reconciliation deal ending a six-year diplomatic standoff following the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010.

[Photo: FRANCE 24 English / YouTube ]