Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made a provocative visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a sensitive site in East Jerusalem, sparking widespread condemnation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In video footage released by his office on Tuesday, Ben-Gvir is seen accompanied by far-right supporters, walking around the compound and chanting,”The people of Israel live!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was joined by Yitzhak Wasserlauf, Israel’s Minister for the development of the Negev and Galilee, Xinhua news agency reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several supporters were heard reciting a Jewish prayer, which is prohibited under the longstanding status quo. Photos circulating on social media showed dozens of Jews praying and bowing at the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Our policy is to allow prayers,” Ben-Gvir said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that about 1,500 right-wing activists accompanied Ben-Gvir during the visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The visit prompted a response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, which said in a statement that Ben-Gvir could not establish new policies at the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“No minister, including the National Security Minister, has a private policy,” the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It emphasised that the visit “deviated from the status quo” and reaffirmed that Israel’s policy regarding the site “has not changed and will not change”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesperson released a condemnation, warning in a statement of the “consequences of the dangerous provocations of the terrorist colonialist invasions in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jordan, the custodian of the compound, condemned the visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry described the actions of the two senior officials as a “blatant violation of international law and the historical and legal status in Jerusalem and the holy sites”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The continued unilateral Israeli actions and ongoing violations of the historical and legal status in Jerusalem and its holy sites require a clear and firm international stance condemning these violations and breaches, and providing necessary protection for the Palestinian people, said the Ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A spokesperson for the US embassy in Israel also condemned the visit, stating that unilateral moves threaten the status quo in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit condemned in the strongest terms the visit, saying that “those hardliners push the situation to the brink and deliberately provoke sentiments of millions of Muslims worldwide”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The storming of Al-Aqsa happened under the protection of the Israeli police that turned the Old City into a military barrack and imposed restrictions on the access of the worshipers, Aboul-Gheit stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “the Israeli irresponsible behaviours violate the international laws and the existing historical and legal condition in Al-Aqsa”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound holds sacred significance for both Muslims and Jews and has long been a flashpoint for deadly violence between the two sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the status quo, non-Muslim worshippers may visit the site in the heart of the Old City but are not allowed to pray there. AGENCIES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made a provocative visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a sensitive site in East Jerusalem, sparking widespread condemnation. In video footage released by his office on Tuesday, Ben-Gvir is seen accompanied by far-right supporters, walking around the compound and chanting,”The people of Israel live!” He was joined by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[87],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n