An Israeli official says far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir's visit to Al Aqsa compound complies with a so-called status quo arrangement, dating back decades, that allows non-Muslims to visit on condition they do not pray.
JERUSALEM – Israel’s new far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir briefly visited Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Tuesday, a site also revered by Jews, prompting condemnation from Palestinians and neighboring Jordan.
The rise of Ben-Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power party, to join a religious-nationalist coalition under re-elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has deepened Palestinian anger about their long-failed efforts to secure a state. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemns the storming of Al-Aqsa mosque by the extremist minister Ben-Gvir and views it as unprecedented provocation and a dangerous escalation of the conflict”.
“Jordan condemns in the severest of terms the storming of the Aqsa mosque and violation of its sanctity,” the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said, adding it violated international law and “the historic and legal status quo in Jerusalem”.A spokesman for Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist group that rejects coexistence with Israel, said of Ben-Gvir’s visit: “A continuation of this behavior will bring all parties closer to a big clash.
Ben-Gvir’s cabinet duties include overseeing Israeli police who are formally tasked with enforcing the ban on Jewish prayer at the compound. He once advocated ending that ban, but has been more non-committal on the matter since aligning with Netanyahu.Israel deems all of Jerusalem its indivisible capital – a status not recognized internationally. Palestinians want East Jerusalem, where the compound is located, as capital of a future state also taking in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
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