Jerusalem — Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir, representing the far‑right Otzma Yehudit party, sparked widespread condemnation across the Arab world on Sunday when he visited Jerusalem’s highly sensitive Al‑Aqsa Mosque compound—also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount—and reportedly led Jewish prayers there. That act breached a long‑standing “status quo” agreement under which Jews may visit the compound but are barred from praying at the site , reported the AP News.
The visit coincided with Tisha B’Av, the Jewish fast day commemorating the destruction of the ancient temples believed to have stood on that site. According to reports and footage shared by a small Jewish group called the Temple Mount Administration, Ben‑Gvir led a group of some 1,250 visitors, and may have prayed, danced, and shouted at the compound.
Responses were swift and harsh: the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and other regional powers denounced the move as a deliberate provocation and a flagrant violation of international law and the historical status quo. Jordan’s foreign ministry emphasized that Israel has no sovereignty over Al‑Aqsa and cautioned such actions risk inflaming the already tense region .
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly reaffirmed that “Israel’s policy of maintaining the status quo at the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change.” However, critics argued that Ben‑Gvir’s repeated challenges to the established order and his calls for expanded Jewish religious presence at the site create a dangerous precedent .
Ben‑Gvir further used the visit to renew his hardline stance: calling for full Israeli sovereignty over the Gaza Strip, the removal of Hamas, and the encouragement of voluntary Gazan migration. He argued such steps are necessary to recover Israeli hostages and secure victory in the ongoing conflict with Hamas .
The incident happens amid worsening conditions in Gaza. On the same day, Israeli forces were reported to have killed dozens of Palestinians at humanitarian aid sites, with hundreds more injured across the enclave. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported at least 119 people killed and 866 injured in the previous 24 hours, raising the cumulative toll of the war to more than 60,800 dead .
Analysts warn that Ben‑Gvir’s visit and rhetoric risk undermining delicate ceasefire efforts and could exacerbate violence across Jerusalem and Gaza in coming days .
