JAKARTA - Israel's new right-wing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir briefly visited the Al Aqsa mosque complex in Jerusalem on Tuesday, a site also respected by Jews, sparking harsh criticism from Palestinians and several Arab countries.
"Temple Mount is open to all," Ben-Gvir said on Twitter, using Jewish names for the site.
Video footage shows him walking around the outskirts of the complex, surrounded by tight security and flanked by fellow Orthodox Jews.
In order to ease anger over the visit, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the prime minister was fully committed to the site's status quo which had only allowed Muslim worship there for decades.
When asked about the visit, a White House National Security Council spokesman said any unilateral action that jeopardizes the status quo of Jerusalem's holy site was unacceptable.
An Israeli official said a 15-minute visit by Ben-Gvir, a senior member of Netanyahu's new nationalist-religious cabinet, was in accordance with provisions decades ago that allowed non-Muslims to visit on condition that they did not pray.
On that occasion, Ben-Gvir did not approach the mosque itself.
ממשלת ישראל שאני חבר בה לא תיכנע לארגון מרצחים שפל. הר הבית פתוח לכולם ואם החמאס חושב שאם הוא יאיים עליי זה ירתיע אותי, שיבינו שהשתנו הזמנים. יש ממשלה בירושלים! pic.twitter.com/vgDYBYacJG
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) January 3, 2023
Although the visit to the hotspots passed without an incident, it risks exacerbating disputes with Palestinians after rising violence in the occupied West Bank last year.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh asked Palestinians to "face raids on the Al Aqsa mosque".
He accused Ben-Gvir of the visit as part of an attempt to turn the holy place "into a Jewish temple".
Israel denies having such a design.
"Maintaining the status quo, in recent years ministers have more than made it to Temple Mount more than once, including the former Minister of Homeland Security," said an official at Netanyahu's office.
"The claim to change the status quo is baseless," he said.
Separately, the Jordanian government, the guard of Al Aqsa and whose peace deals with Israel are not popular at home, summoned the Israeli ambassador, saying the visit had violated international law and the "historic status quo and law in Jerusalem".
Previously, Ben-Gvir had recommended ending the ban on Jewish prayers on the site, but had not committed more to the matter since joining Netanyahu. Meanwhile, other members of his Jewish ruling party still advocate such a move.
Hours before the visit, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager in clashes near Bethlehem, medical officials and eyewitnesses said.
Israeli soldiers said troops opened fire on Palestinians throwing homemade explosives, stones and Molotov cocktails at them.
A Hamas spokesman said, "The continuation of this behavior will bring all parties closer to major clashes," referring to Ben-Gvir's visit.
Kutukan atas kunjungan datang dari sejumlah negara, termasuk Mesir dan Uni Emirati Arab yang mengakui Israel. Arab Saudi, di mana Netanyahu ingin menjalin kesepakatan damai, juga mengkritik tindakan Ben-Gvir. Turki, yang baru-baru ini mengakhiri rencakan diplomatik lama dengan Israel, mengurangi kunjungan itu sebagai "provokatif".
The Al Aqsa Complex, known to Muslims as the Holy Place of His Majesty, is the holiest site of all three Islams. It is also the holiest site ofTEN, the remains of two ancient temples.
Ben-Gvir said freedom of movement would be enforced in the complex, without mentioning freedom of worship.
למה עלית בתרגיל הונאה? ולא הבטחת לחסל את דובר החמאס? מה קורה עם זה רמבו? https://t.co/THJw57EPiO
— Eyal Mor (@EyalMor5) January 3, 2023
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