An ultranationalist Israeli cabinet minister has visited a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site for the first time since taking office in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new far-right government last week.
The visit is seen by Palestinians as a provocation.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said a 15-year-old boy was killed by Israeli army fire near the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident.
In Jerusalem, Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary flanked by a large contingent of police officers.
Ben-Gvir has long called for greater Jewish access to the holy site, which is viewed by Palestinians as provocative and as a potential precursor to Israel taking complete control over the compound.
Most rabbis forbid Jews from praying on the site, but there has been a growing movement in recent years of Jews who support worship there.
The site has been the scene of frequent clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces, most recently in April last year.
Ben-Gvir’s stated intention of visiting the site earlier this week drew threats from the Islamic militant group Hamas.
Ben-Gvir wrote on Twitter after his visit that the site “is open to all and if Hamas thinks that if it threatens me it will deter me, they should understand that times have changed”.
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