Israeli security minister joins Jewish extremists as they storm al-Aqsa mosque compound

Israeli Security Minister Joins Jewish Extremists at Al-Aqsa

Wanderstayfinder.com – Israeli security minister joins Jewish extremists in a historic demonstration at Jerusalem’s most sacred site. Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, led thousands of Jewish extremists who stormed the al-Aqsa mosque compound on Thursday. Accompanied by armed police officers, the group prayed, waved Israeli flags, and sang the national anthem in what many viewed as a provocative assertion of political authority.

The visit challenged a fragile, decades-old status quo agreement that prohibits non-Muslim prayer at the location, which Muslims call al-Haram al-Sharif and Jews refer to as the Temple Mount. Ben-Gvir has systematically weakened this arrangement through provocative visits and unilateral modifications to visitor rules, including permitting Jews to bring prayers and printed religious materials to the compound.

Political Implications and Regional Response

In January, Ben-Gvir appointed an ideological ally as head of the Jerusalem police force, paving the way for more substantial changes. The Palestinian ministry of religious endowments and affairs issued a statement condemning the actions: “These provocative practices, emanating from the highest political levels of the occupying government, seek to ignite a religious war throughout the entire region.”

“This directly violates the fragile status quo, which bars non-Muslim prayer at the holy site.”

Likud lawmaker Amit Halevi participated in a group that raised Israeli flags and sang Haaretz reported, citing Temple Mount activists advocating for Jewish worship at the site. Ben-Gvir expressed optimism on social media, writing that “we see enormous progress here,” noting that Jews praying at the location “feel like the owners.” The minister has previously articulated ambitions to raise the Israeli flag at the compound and construct a synagogue there.

Thursday coincided with Tisha B’Av, a Jewish holy day commemorating the destruction of both the first temple from the 10th-century BC and the second temple, which Romans destroyed in AD70. Historical modifications to the status quo agreement have frequently triggered conflicts in Jerusalem and Palestine, with worldwide consequences. Ariel Sharon’s 2000 visit as opposition leader sparked the second Palestinian intifada, lasting five years. Hamas named its October 2023 attack “al-Aqsa flood,” claiming Israeli violations at the Jerusalem mosque provoked the assault that killed 1,200 Israelis and initiated the Gaza war.

Peace Now, an Israeli activist organization, characterized the prayers outside al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock as a “dangerous provocation” by extremists attempting to spark religious conflict. The Jordanian foreign ministry strongly condemned the storming, urging the international community to “take a firm stance obliging Israel, as the occupying power, to halt its ongoing violations against the Islamic and Christian sanctities in Jerusalem.” The Islamic Waqf Department, which officially administers the compound, reported that 3,228 Israelis entered during the morning period, according to Al Jazeera.

Thousands more visitors are anticipated in the afternoon. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly supported Jewish prayer at the site, asserting that changes advocated by Ben-Gvir were coordinated with his administration. Despite effectively dismantling a crucial component of the status quo, Netanyahu maintained that Israel had not breached the agreement. Overnight, thousands marched through old Jerusalem neighborhoods near the compound, while some attacked Palestinians and vandalized a Muslim cemetery near the Lions’ Gate entrance, Haaretz reported. Police subsequently arrested 16 Jewish suspects connected to the violence.