Ben-Gvir Ascends Temple Mount Praying Loudly, in Violation of Status Quo - Israel News - Haaretz.com
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ascended the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa Compound) on Sunday morning, singing Jewish prayers loudly.
His behavior is a departure from the status quo on the compound, as in the past, the Israeli police did not allow Jews to enter the Mount to pray loudly. The minister later participated in prayer on the eastern side of the Temple Mount, in the corner where the police have allowed Jews to pray in recent years.
In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office said that Israel's policy on the Temple Mount "has not changed and will not change."
According to the Waqf, the foundation that administers the complex, Ben-Gvir was among another 1,250 Jewish worshippers who ascended the site and who it said prayed, shouted and danced.
Though Ben-Gvir initially refused to answer Haaretz's question about whether he had watched the video of hostage Evyatar David from captivity, and continued to pray, when pressed again, he replied that he had seen it, and that "Therefore, the right way is to occupy Gaza, destroy Hamas, and encourage emmigration [of Palestinians from the Strip]."
Jewish worshippers line up at the entrance to the Temple Mount on Sunday.Credit: Olivier Fitoussi
In a video recorded on the Temple Mount, Ben-Gvir said that "Hamas' horror videos are an attempt to create pressure on the State of Israel," and called again for the occupation of Gaza and the declaration of Israeli sovereignty over the Strip.
He added that it was essential to convey this message directly from the Temple Mount, which was proof that "sovereignty and governance can be achieved."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ascends the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa compound to pray on Sunday.
A spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Ben-Gvir's visit, which he said "crossed all red lines."
"The international community, specifically the U.S. administration, is required to intervene immediately to put an end to the crimes of the settlers and the provocations of the extreme right-wing government in the Al Aqsa Mosque, stop the war on the Gaza Strip and bring in humanitarian aid," said spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh.
- Far-right Israeli minister brags: Since I took office, police no longer harass settlers
- When the police serve politics, not the public
- Netherlands bans Ben-Gvir, Smotrich over 'calls for violence, Gaza ethnic cleansing'
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry also condemned Ben-Gvir's entry to the this morning to Al Aqsa Compound, saying that it "considers it a serious violation of international law and international humanitarian law, as well as an unacceptable provocation."
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ambassador Sufyan Al-Qudah, stated that "the Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its entire area of 144 dunams, is an exclusive Muslim place of worship, and that the Jordanian Waqf is the sole legal body entrusted with managing the affairs of the site and organizing access to it."
The Ministry called on Israel to put a stop to Ben-Gvir's "provocative actions."
Since taking office, Ben-Gvir has visited the Temple Mount several times, boasting about changing police policy there, which now allows Jews to pray.
In June, he personally reprimanded police officers who refused to let Jewish worshippers ascend the Mount while singing and dancing, accompanied by Police Commissioner Danny Levy. "Do you understand what it means when you take away the Jewish visitors' flags from the Temple Mount? Do you understand what this does to the Jewish people all over the world?" he was heard saying.
Jewish worshippers holding flags depicting a Jewish temple near the entrance to the Temple Mount on Sunday.Credit: Olivier Fitoussi
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to announce in the past that the "status quo" had not changed, but contrary to his statements, Jews pray at the compound in full view of police stationed there.
Last year, an Israeli security source warned in a conversation with Haaretz that "the police turning a blind eye to the Jewish prayer and violation of the status quo in Jerusalem is a danger that symbolizes the consequences of Ben Gvir's takeover of the police."
He added, "When we have a potential hostage deal on the table, alongside a security escalation, this is not the time to play with the Temple Mount. In the end, the government can say whatever it wants, but if the police on the ground do not carry out their decisions, we are in serious trouble."