JERUSALEM, July 23 (Reuters) – Israeli far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Thursday, praising Jewish visitors he said had prayed at the site in breach of arrangements that allow only Muslim prayer there.
His visit drew condemnation from Jordan and Palestinian officials.
The compound in Jerusalem’s walled Old City is one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East. Known to Jews as Temple Mount, it is the most sacred site in Judaism and is Islam’s third-holiest site.
Under a delicate, decades-old arrangement with Muslim authorities, it is administered by a Jordanian religious foundation and Jews can visit but may not pray there.
Suggestions that Israel would alter the rules have sparked outrage among Muslims and ignited violence in the past.
There was no immediate sign of unrest on Thursday after Ben-Gvir’s visit on Tisha B’Av, a day of fasting and lament in Judaism mourning the destruction of the ancient Jewish temples.
“On Tisha B’Av we mark the destruction. But we also see huge progress on the Temple Mount. Look at what’s happening here – Jews praying, feeling like they’re the owners of the place. This has never happened before,” Ben-Gvir said in a video, which appeared to show one Jewish visitor bowing in prayer.
Jordan’s foreign ministry and the Palestinian religious affairs ministry both condemned Ben-Gvir’s visit, which they said violated the status-quo agreements.
Jordan said Ben-Gvir’s visit was “a desecration of the sanctity of the mosque, an escalation, a barbaric act, and unacceptable provocation.”
There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office. Previous such visits and statements by Ben-Gvir have prompted announcements from Netanyahu saying that there is no change in Israel’s policy of keeping the status quo.
(Reporting by Maayan Lubell and Lina Obeid, Editing by William Maclean)
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