JERUSALEM: Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa compound on Wednesday, his spokesperson told AFP.
The visit occurred as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas were being held in Egypt on ending the Gaza war.
This marks Ben Gvir’s eleventh visit as minister to the disputed area in occupied east Jerusalem.
The compound contains Islam’s third-holiest site and is Judaism’s holiest place, revered as the location of the first and second Jewish temples.
Hamas condemned the visit, calling it a “deliberate provocation” that “violates the sanctity of Al-Aqsa and the feelings of Muslims worldwide.”
The Palestinian group noted the visit coincided with the “painful anniversary” of deadly clashes in Jerusalem on October 8, 1990, in which at least 15 Palestinians were killed.
In a video statement from the esplanade, Ben Gvir referred to the second anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
“We are two years after the terrible massacre — here at the Temple Mount there is victory,“ Ben Gvir said.
“I only pray that our prime minister will allow a complete victory in Gaza as well — to destroy Hamas, with God’s help to bring back the hostages,“ he added.
Ben Gvir’s visit occurred during the third day of indirect talks in Egypt to reach an end to the two-year war in Gaza.
The security minister has previously threatened to quit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government unless Hamas is destroyed.
Videos circulating on social media showed Ben Gvir walking on the esplanade accompanied by religious Jews singing liturgical songs.
The Waqf, the Jordanian custodian of the site, said 1,300 “extremist Jews” entered the compound Wednesday morning.
Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned the visit as “a flagrant violation” of the status quo at the compound.
The unwritten agreement forbids non-Muslim prayer on the site.
Ben Gvir’s visit coincided with the second day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, when Jews traditionally made pilgrimages to the Temple.
In recent years, the status quo understanding between Israel and Jordan has been repeatedly violated by Jewish visitors, including parliament members.
Ben Gvir conducted a public prayer on the flashpoint site in August during Tisha B’Av, commemorating the destruction of the two Jewish temples.
Israel occupied east Jerusalem and annexed it in 1967, a move not recognised by most of the international community. – AFP