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A far-right Israeli minister has led tons of of Jewish Israelis into Jerusalem’s most contested holy web site, with many defying the Israeli authorities’s long-standing ban on Jewish prayer there.
The go to by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, identified to Jews as Temple Mount, has been condemned as provocative by Palestinian leaders, in addition to the UN and a number of other Arab states.
Mr Ben-Gvir stated in a video that “our policy is to enable Jewish prayer”.
But the Israeli prime minister’s workplace insisted there had been no change to the established order settlement that enables solely Muslim worship there.
The web site is the holiest place for Jews as a result of it was the location of two Biblical temples. It is the third holiest place for Muslims, who consider it was the place the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
Situated in occupied East Jerusalem, it was captured by Israel from Jordan within the 1967 Middle East conflict. Under the established order, Jordan was allowed to proceed its historic function as custodian of the location, whereas Israel assumed management of safety and entry.
Palestinians accuse Israel of taking steps to undermine the preparations and complain that lately Jewish guests have usually been seen praying with out being stopped by Israeli police.
Videos shared on social media on Tuesday confirmed teams of Jewish Israelis singing the Israeli nationwide anthem, some carrying the Israeli flag whereas others prostrate themselves in prayer on the fringe of the holy web site.
Visiting the compound escorted by Israeli police, Itamar Ben Gvir, stated “great progress” had been made in Israel’s “governance and sovereignty” there. “Our policy is to enable Jewish prayer,” he went on.
He additionally declared that Israel “must win the war” within the Gaza Strip, and mustn’t become involved within the talks on a ceasefire and hostage launch deal in an effort to “bring Hamas to its knees”.
Later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace stated the incident had “deviated from the status quo.”
“Israel’s policy on the Temple Mount has not changed; this is how it has been and this is how it will be,” it harassed.
In response to the assertion, Mr Ben-Gvir stated that it was his personal coverage to “enable freedom of worship for Jews in all places”.
“There is no law that permits engaging in racist discrimination against Jews at the Temple Mount or anywhere else in Israel,” he added.
However, the Palestinian overseas ministry expressed nice concern about what it referred to as a “the dangerous escalation resulting from the raids by extremist settlers on the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque”.
“The ministry will continue its political efforts to address these provocations at various levels, warning of their serious consequences on the conflict arena and the region as a whole,” a press release stated.
The Jordanian Islamic endowment which administers the location, the Waqf, stated greater than 2,000 Israelis had entered the compound and appealed to Muslims the world over to assist it preserve the established order.
Jordan’s overseas ministry stated the incident mirrored “the insistence of the Israeli government and its extremist members to flout international laws and Israel’s obligations as the occupying power”.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia additionally stated the incident violated worldwide regulation, with the previous including that Mr Ben-Gvir was searching for to scupper makes an attempt to dealer a Gaza ceasefire deal.
UN spokesperson Farhan Haq referred to as the incident “unhelpful and unduly provocative”, including: “We are against any efforts to change the status quo within the holy sites.”
US state department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters: “Any unilateral motion like this that jeopardizes such a establishment is unacceptable. And not solely is it unacceptable, it detracts from what we expect is an important time, as we’re working to get this ceasefire deal throughout the end line.”
