Arabs slam Al Aqsa ‘storming’
Calls for full mosque protection after Israeli minister’s provocative visit
The UAE and Saudi Arabia were among nations to condemn a visit on Tuesday by Israel's extreme-right new national security minister to Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque compound.
The move by firebrand Itamar Ben Gvir has enraged Palestinians, while the United States warned of steps which may harm the status quo.
“Our government will not surrender to the threats of Hamas,” Ben Gvir vowed in a statement published by his spokesman, after the Palestinian militant group warned such a step was a “red line”.
Ben Gvir's visit comes days after he took office as national security minister, with powers over the police, giving his decision to enter the highly sensitive site considerable weight.
The UAE strongly condemned the “storming” of Al Aqsa Mosque courtyard by an Israeli minister under the protection of Israeli forces.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International-cooperation reiterated the need to provide full protection for Al Aqsa Mosque and halt serious and provocative violations taking place there. The ministry underscored the need to respect the custodial role of the Kingdom of Jordan over the holy sites and endowments in accordance with international law and the historical situation at hand, and not to compromise the authority of the Jerusalem Endowment Administration and Al Aqsa Mosque.
The ministry called upon Israeli authorities to assume responsibility for reducing escalation and instability in the region.
The ministry stressed the need to support all regional and international efforts to advance the Middle East Peace Process, end illegal practices that threaten the two-state solution, and establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides said Washington “has made it clear to the Israeli government it opposes any steps that could harm the status quo in the holy sites”.
Saudi Arabia condemned the “provocative practices” of Ben Gvir in a foreign ministry statement.
The visit was also criticised by the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Jordan's foreign ministry spokesman Sinan Majali slammed the Israeli politician for “breaking into the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque and violating its sanctity”. — agencies
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 neighbouring Jordan.
“The Temple Mount is open to all,” Ben Gvir said on Twitter, using the Jewish name for the site. Video footage showed him strolling at the periphery of the compound, surrounded by a heavy security detail and flanked by a fellow Orthodox Jew.
An Israeli official said Ben Gvir's 15-minute visit to Al Aqsa compound complied with a so-called status quo arrangement, dating back decades, that allows nonmuslims to visit on condition they do not pray. The visit passed without incident.
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.
His visit risks stoking tensions further after an upsurge in violence in the occupied West Bank in the past year.
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”. Ben Gvir did not approach the mosque, which is a symbol for Palestinian nationalism and their bid for statehood, a goal that looks ever bleaker with Ben Gvir and other far-right allies in office in Netanyahu's new government.
Jordan, the custodian of Al Aqsa, also criticised the visit.
“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 said of Ben Gvir's visit: “A continuation of this behaviour will bring all parties closer to a big clash.”
The Al Aqsa compound, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is Islam's third-holiest site.
On Tuesday, Jews fasted to commemorate a Babylonian siege on the first of those temples, in the 6th century BC.
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 recognised 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.
“If Hamas thinks that it can deter me with threats, it should understand that times have changed,” Ben Gvir said on Twitter. “There is a government in Jerusalem!”
Almog Cohen, another lawmaker from Ben Gvir's Jewish Power party, told Israel's Kan radio that the party's “aspiration is — yes, God willing, for all religions to be able to pray on the Temple Mount”.
But Netanyahu, now in his sixth term as premier, has pledged to preserve the “status quo” around holy sites. — reuters
Jordan condemns in the severest of terms the storming of the Aqsa mosque and violation of its sanctity.
Jordanian Foreign Ministry