A far-right Israeli minister drew international condemnation Tuesday by praying with thousands of Jews at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in annexed east Jerusalem, defying a ban on Jewish prayer at the flashpoint site.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has often ignored the Israeli government’s longstanding ban, vowed to “defeat Hamas” in Gaza in a video he filmed during his visit.
The compound is Islam’s third holiest site and a symbol of Palestinian national identity, but it is also Judaism’s holiest place, revered as the site of the ancient temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
While Jews and other non-Muslims are allowed to visit the mosque compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem during specified hours, they are not permitted to pray or display religious symbols.
The visit comes at a tense time during the 10-month Israel-Hamas war, with faltering efforts for a ceasefire and Israel braced for threatened attacks from Iran and its proxies.
Ben Gvir’s latest visit drew sharp condemnation from both Muslim countries as well as Western powers, including the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ben Gvir showed “blatant disregard” for the status quo at the site and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent such actions.
“These provocative actions only exacerbate tensions at a pivotal moment when all focus should be on the ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a (Gaza) ceasefire agreement and secure the release of all hostages and create the conditions for broader regional stability,” he said.
Days earlier the White House used strong language to call out another far-right member of Netanyahu’s cabinet, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who criticized President Joe Biden’s push for a Gaza ceasefire.
In recent years, the restrictions at the compound have been increasingly flouted by hardline religious nationalists like Ben Gvir, prompting sometimes violent reactions from Palestinians.
On Tuesday morning, he and some 2,250 other Israelis walked through the compound in groups, singing Jewish hymns, under the protection of Israeli police, an official from the Waqf, the Jordanian body that is custodian of the site, told AFP.
Israeli police also “imposed restrictions” on Muslim worshippers trying to enter the mosque, he said, adding that more than 700 Jews also prayed there in the afternoon.
“Minister Ben Gvir, instead of maintaining the status quo at the mosque, is supervising the Judaisation operation and trying to change the situation inside Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the official said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak on the matter.
– ‘Unduly provocative’ –
Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned the “storming” of the mosque, calling it a “flagrant violation of international law”.
“The continual violations of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its sanctities require a clear and firm international position that condemns these violations,” ministry spokesperson Sufyan al-Qudah said in a statement.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, an umbrella group of Muslim-majority states, “strongly condemned” the incident and said it was a “provocation to the feelings of Muslims all over the world”.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the UN was “against any efforts to change the status quo within the holy sites”.
“This sort of behaviour is unhelpful and it is unduly provocative,” he added.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell posted on X that the bloc “strongly condemns the provocations” by Ben Gvir.
France’s foreign ministry said in a statement: “This new provocation is unacceptable.”
Images posted on social media networks showed Ben Gvir inside the compound while several Israelis lay on the ground performing Talmudic rituals.
Ben Gvir released a video statement on X, which he filmed inside the compound himself, renewing his opposition to any truce in the war in Gaza.
“We must win this war. We must win and not go to the talks in Doha or Cairo,” he said, referring to the US-backed negotiations for a truce and hostage release deal for Gaza set to resume on Thursday.
“We can defeat Hamas… we must bring them down to their knees,” Ben Gvir said.
Tuesday’s entry into the Al-Aqsa compound comes on the Jewish mourning day of Tisha Be’Av that commemorates the destruction of the ancient temple.