Fattah el-Sissi on Saturday urged Israel to take swift measures to calm tensions around the Temple Mount after daily clashes this past week between Israeli security forces and Palestinian rioters.
"It is without doubt a dangerous violation of Islamic holy places," Sissi said at a press conference with EU president Donald Tusk, urging Israel to take "immediate and effective steps" to defuse tensions.
"The international community must realize the attachment of all Muslims to this place," he said, warning that the unrest could have "grave consequences for peace and stability."
The UN Security Council on Thursday issued a controversial statement over the unrest, expressing its "grave concern" about the ongoing violence on the contested holy site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, or Haram al-Sharif.
The statement said Muslims at the site "must be allowed to worship in peace, free from violence, threats and provocations" and that "visitors should be without fear of violence or intimidation."