Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Palestinians and several Arab countries strongly condemned Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. They fear his visit is intended to change the status quo of the sanctuary.
Ben-Gvir, who was sworn in last week as part of the new right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, visited on Tuesday (3/1/2023) and was seen at the third holiest site in Islam under close surveillance.
“We strongly condemn the assault on the Al-Aqsa mosque by extremist minister Ben-Gvir and consider it an unprecedented provocation and a dangerous escalation of the conflict,” the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement. Al Jazeera.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has asked Palestinians to address the visit to the Al Aqsa mosque. He accused Ben-Gvir of making the visit an attempt to transform the sanctuary into a “Jewish temple”.
Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which have peace agreements with Israel, also condemned the “invasion,” the word used by those countries, Ben-Gvir’s Al-Aqsa. Amman summoned the Israeli ambassador and said the visit violated international law and the “historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem”.
Saudi Arabia has also criticized Ben-Gvir’s actions. Turkey, which recently ended a long-standing diplomatic rift with Israel, also called the visit “provocative”.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said any violation of the decades-old status quo at the Al-Aqsa mosque could lead to an “explosion” of conflict in the region, not just within the Palestinian territories.
Not wanting to miss a comment, a White House National Security Council spokesman said any unilateral action that jeopardizes the status quo of Jerusalem’s holy sites was unacceptable.
“The United States resolutely maintains the status quo regarding holy sites in Jerusalem,” the spokesman said, adding that the United States has asked Netanyahu to uphold his commitments to the status quo of holy sites.
UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq also said the UN Secretary-General had stressed the importance of upholding the status quo at sacred sites.
Israeli opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid even warned on Monday that Ben-Gvir’s planned entry into the compound would lead to violence. He called it a “deliberate provocation that will put your life at risk”.
Netanyahu earlier issued a statement late on Tuesday saying he was committed to strictly maintaining the status quo, without changes, at Al-Aqsa.
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