Israel’s far-right Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has once again stoked condemnation by praying at a contested Jerusalem religious site counter to agreements with the Muslim community.
According to a long-standing agreement with Muslim authorities, Jews are allowed to visit the site known to them as the Temple Mount but to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary but not to pray there. However, there are repeated violations of this agreement.
“I went to our sanctuary to pray there for our soldiers, for the speedy return of all hostages and for total victory with God’s help,” Ben-Gvir wrote in a post on social media platform X on Thursday.
The site houses the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque and is the third holiest site in Islam. It is also sacred to Jews because two Jewish temples once stood there.
The site in the Old City of Jerusalem is under Muslim administration while Israel is responsible for security.
As after last provocations by Ben-Gvir, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the status quo on the Temple Mount had not changed. However, the national security minister’s violations of the rules never have any consequences.
