Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's far-right national security minister, visited the Jerusalem complex known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif or the Noble Sanctuary on Tuesday, which attracted criticism from throughout the world.
Videos depicting Ben Gvir strolling through the complex while being encircled by Israeli police were published in Israeli media.
The flashpoint complex, which is the third-holiest location in Islam and the holiest site in Judaism, is the source of many tensions. The Al-Aqsa Mosque and the locations of the first and second Jewish Temples that were demolished are located there. According to a long-standing agreement, only Muslims are permitted to pray at the compound; Ben Gvir thinks Jews ought to be able to do the same.
Palestinians protested the visit right away.
In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said, "We strongly condemn fanatic Ben Gvir's storming of the hallowed Al-Aqsa Mosque and we consider it an unprecedented provocation and a severe threat." We blame (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu for the conflict's and the region's repercussions.
Tuesday, Ben Gvir entered the grounds but not the Al-Aqsa Mosque structure. The lawmaker's visit was his first since he took office as the nation's security minister last week, in what is expected to be Israel's most right-wing administration ever. It is led by Netanyahu, who has returned for his sixth term as prime minister at the head of a coalition that includes several extremist parties.
The far-right Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) party's head, Ben Gvir, had previously been found guilty of aiding terrorism and inciting anti-Arab hatred. He is in charge of the Israeli police as well as some police operations in the occupied West Bank in his capacity as minister of national security.
The Palestinian militant organisation Hamas, which controls Gaza, has warned that Ben Gvir's visit will "throw fuel on fire" and be a "precursor for the ignition of the region."
Ben Gvir replied to the tweet with, "The Israeli government of which I am a member will not capitulate to a horrible killing group. "The Temple Mount is accessible to anyone, and if Hamas believes that threatening me will stop me, let them know that circumstances have changed. Jerusalem has a government, indeed!
Only Muslims are permitted to pray inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and non-Muslims are only permitted to enter the complex at specific hours, according to the so-called status quo agreement that dates back to the Ottoman occupation of Jerusalem. After Israel took control of these sacred sites in the 1967 war, other nations and Israel agreed to keep access to them as-is.
Jewish prayer space on the Temple Mount has been demanded by some religiously nationalist Jewish organisations. There have been multiple incidents of Jewish guests praying on the property, which has angered Muslim authorities and resulted in Israeli police forcibly removing them.
Violence between Israel and the Palestinians has often been preceded by visits from Israeli political figures. The Second Intifada, a Palestinian revolt against Israel that lasted for years, began in September 2000 as a result of Ariel Sharon, the conservative leader of the Israeli opposition.
"People will perish."
Netanyahu was slammed for the visit by former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who dubbed him "weak" for committing the "most reckless man in the Middle East to the most volatile region in the Middle East."
It's time for Netanyahu to tell Ben Gvir, "You don't go up to the Temple Mount because people will die," according to Lapid, who labelled the visit a "provocation that will lead to violence that would jeopardise human life and cost human lives."
The Gulf country has been striving to balance its recently created friendship with Israel with its ongoing backing for the Palestinians. The nation has previously condemned incidents, particularly those that heighten tensions surrounding Jerusalem's sacred sites.
The foreign ministry of Egypt urged "all parties to exhibit restraint and responsibility and desist from any acts that might inflame the situation" and warned of the detrimental effects such actions would have on security and stability.
Jordan slammed Ben Gvir's visit, calling it "a flagrant and unforgivable violation of international law, of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its sanctities," and denounced it in the "strongest" terms possible.
Since 1924, Jordan's monarchy has been in charge of the holy sites in Jerusalem and regards itself as the city's guarantor of the religious freedoms of both Muslims and Christians.
In a separate statement, the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation held Israel accountable for the effects of its "aggression" against Palestinians.
Ambassador (Tom) Nides has been quite clear in discussions with the Israeli government on the topic of maintaining the status quo in Jerusalem's holy sites, according to a US embassy spokesperson. Anything done to stop that is unacceptable.
In a Facebook post, the British consulate in Jerusalem expressed its "alarm" at Ben Gvir's visit and stated that it "remains committed to the status quo."
A tweet mentioning the website German ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert issued a warning against "activities that could exacerbate tensions" on Tuesday night.
The head of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation in Lebanon, which is supported by Iran, warned that the visit "may ignite the entire region" in addition to causing trouble in the Palestinian territories. Hassan Nasrallah said that Hezbollah doesn't fear Israel's new right-wing administration in a speech that was broadcast on television on Tuesday. It's made up of freaks and nuts, he declared.
Netanyahu claimed on Tuesday that his administration was not attempting to alter the site's guidelines. According to a statement from his office, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is committed to firmly maintaining the status quo, without alterations, on the Temple Mount."
Hamas won't be allowed to rule us. Ministers have visited the Temple Mount recently under the status quo, including Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, therefore the assertion that the status quo has changed is unfounded.
