Jerusalem: Israel’s new far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir briefly visited the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Tuesday, a site also revered by Jews, angering Palestinians and drawing a slew of condemnations.
“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 heavy security and flanked by a fellow Orthodox Jew.
Although the visit at the flashpoint site passed without incident, it risks worsening frictions with Palestinians after a surge of violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in 2022.
Al-Aqsa is a symbol for Palestinian hopes of securing a state, a goal that looks ever bleaker with Ben-Gvir and other far-right allies now in Netanyahu’s government.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would seek a UN Security Council condemnation, a statement published by the Palestinian WAFA News Agency said.
Diplomats said both the United Arab Emirates and China asked the council to meet publicly to discuss the issue, likely on Thursday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “calls on all to refrain from steps that could escalate tensions in and around the holy sites,” said UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.
When asked about the visit, a White House National Security Council spokesperson said any unilateral action that jeopardises the status quo of Jerusalem holy sites is unacceptable.
Read the article by Dan Williams in The Sydney Morning Herald.