Jerusalem:

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. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A screen grab taken from AFPTV footage shows Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaking at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on July 17, 2024. Mr. Ben-Gvir, known for his provocative gestures and comments, said Netanyahu must not make a “surrender” accord with Hamas to bring back hostages held in Gaza since October 7.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to troops in southern Gaza on July 18, his office said, just days before he was set to give a speech to the U.S. Congress.

Mr. Netanyahu’s visit to the southern city of Rafah was announced hours after Israel’s far-right national Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. The move could disrupt sensitive talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire in the 9-month-old Israel-Hamas war. Tensions over the compound have fueled past rounds of violence.

Mr. Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist settler leader, said he had gone up to the contested Jerusalem hilltop compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray for the return of Israeli hostages “but without a reckless deal, without surrendering.” Israeli negotiators landed in Cairo on Wednesday to keep working on the talks.

The two leaders’ visits came hours after Israel’s parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. The vote, in an overnight session that lasted into Thursday morning, was largely symbolic and meant to send a message ahead of Mr. Netanyahu’s trip to the U.S.

Mr. Netanyahu’s office announced his visit to Rafah once the Prime Minister had exited the war-torn Palestinian territory, with more details expected later Thursday. He has made at least two previous trips to see troops in Gaza, in November and December.

Israeli forces invaded Rafah in early May, forcing most of the 2 million Palestinians sheltering there to flee. Rafah, once a crucial entry point for humanitarian aid, is now a dusty ghost town full of bullet-riddled apartment buildings with blasted-out walls and shattered windows. Very few civilians remain.

Mr. Ben-Gvir said Thursday while standing in front of the golden dome of Al-Aqsa Mosque that he “is praying and working hard” to ensure that Mr. Netanyahu will not give in to international pressure and will continue with the military campaign in Gaza.

Mr. Ben-Gvir last visited the site in May to protest countries unilaterally recognising Palestinian statehood.

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He has been convicted eight times for offences that include racism and supporting a terrorist organisation. As a teen, his views were so extreme that the army banned him from compulsory military service.

As Security Minister, Mr. Ben-Gvir oversees the country’s police force. As a key coalition partner, Mr. Ben-Gvir also has the power to rob Mr. Netanyahu of his parliamentary majority and try to force early elections.

Mr. Ben-Gvir has used his influence to push forward pet projects and encourage Mr. Netanyahu to press ahead with the war in Gaza in the face of widespread calls to reach a cease-fire deal that would bring home hostages.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Mr. Ben-Gvir’s visit as a “provocative intrusion” that endangered the fragile status quo regarding the Jerusalem hilltop compound, which is considered holy for both Muslims and Jews.

The site is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, and by Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, a holy site and important national symbol. Mr. Ben-Gvir has frequently visited the site during times of conflict, drawing condemnation.

On Friday, the U.N.’s International Court of Justice is expected to issue an advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of the Palestinian territories, an ongoing legal case not connected to the current Israel-Hamas war.

Overnight Israeli strikes Thursday in central Gaza killed at least 11 people, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defense organisation and hospitals. At least two children and two women were killed in air strikes on a house and a car.

In recent weeks, Israel has stepped up strikes in central Gaza, where many Palestinians have fled to escape fighting in other parts of the beleaguered territory. Israel’s military said it targeted a senior commander from the militant Palestinian group Islamic Jihad’s naval forces in Gaza City, and another Islamic Jihad commander responsible for launches in the city of Shejayiah.

Israel also said it killed a senior commander affiliated with Hamas and other militant groups in Lebanon. In a statement, Sunni al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, or the Islamic Group, identified him as Mohammad Hamed Jabbara and said he was killed in a strike in the western Bekaa area in Lebanon not far from the Syrian border. The Israeli military described Jabbara as a Hamas operative in Lebanon who helped coordinate Islamic Group attacks targeting northern Israel.

The war in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, has killed more than 38,600 people, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. The war has created a humanitarian catastrophe in the coastal Palestinian territory, displaced most of its 2.3 million population and triggered widespread hunger.

Hamas’ October attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and militants took about 250 hostage. About 120 remain in captivity, with about a third of them believed to be dead, according to Israeli authorities.