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Far-right minister Ben Gvir visits the Esplanade of Mosques despite criticism from Palestinians

Far-right minister Ben Gvir visits the Esplanade of Mosques despite criticism from Palestinians


According to the “status quo”, the site is reserved for the worship of Muslims, while Jews can only enter as visitors. Faced with what they consider “blatant aggression”, the Palestinian factions in Gaza have called for “intensifying the clashes and confronting the Israeli occupation”.

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Euskaraz irakurri: Ben Gvir minister ultraeskuindarrak Meskiten zabalgunea bisitatu du, palestinarren kritikei entzungor eginda

Israel’s new Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvirparty leader far right Otzma Yehudit, has visited this Tuesday the Esplanade of the Mosquesamid warnings from Palestinian factions and criticism from Jordan and the United States, which has advocated maintaining the “status quo.”

The Esplanade of the Mosques is sacred both for Muslims – it houses the important Al Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, where Muhammad ascended to heaven -; as for Jews, who call it Temple Mount because they believe that the Second Temple was built there. According to him “status quo” In force since 1967 —when Israel occupied the eastern part of Jerusalem where the esplanade is located— the site is reserved exclusively for the worship of Muslims, while Jews can only enter as visitors, since Jewish laws prohibit their faithful from praying in the area. holiest place for their religion, something reserved only for a few rabbis.

However, in recent years some rabbis aligned with the movement of religious Zionism – in which Ben Gvir belongs – have changed that recommendation and advocate praying there. Ben Gvir stressed that the Israeli government “will not give in to threats from Hamas”, who, in turn, has warned that “a religious war in the region” could start.

The visit of the Israeli minister to the Esplanade of the Mosques has been criticized by the Palestinian Foreign Ministrywhich has said in a statement that the “assault” of Ben Gvir represents “an unprecedented provocation and a serious threat to the scene of the conflict, as well as a disregard for the demands to put an end to it.”

Palestinian factions in Gaza, led by the movement Hamas that governs the strip, have called on the Palestinian people in the West Bank to “intensify the clashes and confront the Israeli occupation”.

“Ben Gvir’s assault on the Al Aqsa Mosque is a dangerous escalation and provocation against our Palestinian people, and points towards a religious war in the region,” the factions said in a joint statement.

“I say it very clearly. Ben Gvir’s visit will blow up the situation and open the door to another intifada. We must be prepared and we call on all who can to go to Al Aqsa and prevent him from entering,” he said yesterday. the spokesman for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Daoud Shihab.

The visit to the Esplanade of the Mosques in September 2000 from the then Likud leader, ariel sharonwas the trigger for the Second Intifada, and the massive entry of Jews and the police charges against Palestinians in the compound was one of the causes that ignited the violence in May 2021, which led to a serious military escalation with Gaza and clashes between Arabs and Jews in various mixed cities of Israel.

Criticism from the US and Jordan

For his part, the ambassador of USA in Israel, Tom Nides, has been equally critical and has stressed that Washington “wants to preserve the ‘status quo’ and actions that avoid it are unacceptable.”

Added to the criticism Jordan, who acts as custodian of the place. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry has stated in a statement that Ben Gvir’s visit “represents an unacceptable violation” of the “historical and legal situation in Jerusalem and its holy places”, before noting that the Israeli government “bears full responsibility for the consequences” that may derive from the actions of the leader of Otzma Yehudit.

In this way, he pointed out that the visit “is a provocative step” that represents “a dangerous trend that the international community must stop immediately.” Along these lines, he recalled that it is Jordan who has the “legal authority” and “exclusive jurisdiction” to “manage matters” in the Esplanade of the Mosques.”


Source: Eitb

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