Jakarta –
The United Nations (UN) in the United States (USA) have criticized the visit of ultra-nationalist and far-right ministers IsraelItamar Ben-Gvir complex, Masjid Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem, which is super sensitive. Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit is believed to cause tension.
As AFP reported on Wednesday (4/1/2023), Itamar Ben-Gvir’s actions angered Palestinians and US allies in the Arab world, while Western governments warned that such actions threatened the status quo in the Arab world. holy places in Jerusalem.
“Our government will not succumb to threats from Hamas,” Ben-Gvir said in a statement released by his spokesman, after militant group Hamas warned that such a move was a “red line”.
On Tuesday, militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza fired rockets at Israel but missed and hit Palestinian soil, the Israeli military said.
Ben-Gvir’s visit comes days after his post as minister of national security, with power over the police, gave its decision to enter the highly sensitive site.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest site for Jews, who refer to the complex as the Temple Mount.
Under the old status quo, non-Muslims could visit the site at certain times, but could not pray there.
In recent years, increasing numbers of Jews, most of them Israeli nationalists, have prayed silently at the compound, an act condemned by Palestinians.
The UAE and Morocco, which established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, both oppose Ben-Gvir’s move. Abu Dhabi said it strongly condemned an Israeli minister’s storming of the courtyard of Al-Aqsa mosque. Rabat calls for the avoidance of escalations and unilateral and provocative actions.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said any changes to the status quo of Jerusalem’s holy sites would be “unacceptable.” State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States was deeply concerned about Ben-Gvir’s visit, which could lead to violence.
A UN spokesman said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had called on everyone to refrain from measures that could increase tensions in and around the holy sites.
The German ambassador to Israel said the status quo had long helped maintain the fragile peace and security around the Al-Aqsa mosque and urged all sides to avoid actions that could escalate tensions.
In the Old City of Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, the complex is managed by Jordan’s Waqf Islamic, with Israeli troops operating there and controlling access.
After his visit, Ben-Gvir vowed to “define freedom of movement for both Muslims and Christians, but Jews will also go up the mountain, and those who make threats must be met with an iron fist.”
(rfs/rfs)
