A visit condemned by several countries. Itamar Ben Gvir, a figure of the Israeli ultra-right and new Minister of National Security, made a brief trip to the esplanade of the East Jerusalem Mosques on Tuesday. The choice to go to this holy place, at the center of tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, was seen as an alleged provocation by the Israeli executive.
• What happened on Tuesday in Jerusalem?
Itamar Ben Gvir was accompanied on his visit to the esplanade of the Mosques by members of the Israeli security forces. A drone was flying over the esplanade, guards there told our AFP colleagues. After his departure, the situation on the esplanade was calm and faithful and visitors were able to access it without incident.
The third holiest site in Islam and the holiest site in Judaism known as the “Temple Mount”, the Mosque Mount is located in the Old City of Jerusalem, in the Palestinian sector occupied and annexed by Israel.
Under status quo Historically, non-Muslims can visit the site at specific times, but cannot pray there. However, in recent years, growing numbers of Jews, often nationalists, have surreptitiously prayed there, a gesture denounced as a “provocation” by Palestinians and several Middle Eastern countries.
• In what political context does this displacement occur?
The visit of the new Israeli minister comes just days after the most right-wing Netanyahu government in Israeli history was sworn in before the Knesset. His coalition includes in particular Bezalel Smotrich’s “Religious Zionism” and Itamar Ben Gvir’s “Jewish Force”, known for its anti-Palestinian statements and its positions in favor of the annexation of part of the West Bank, and Avi Maoz’s “Noam”. , openly anti-Palestinian. -LGBTQ.
Itamar Ben Gvir, known for his anti-Palestinian rants, had previously visited the site as an MP, but this is his first visit since joining the government. Contrary to the position of the Israeli rabbinate, he advocates that Jews be allowed to enter the esplanade of the mosques and pray there. Palestinian Hamas, in power in Gaza and a pet peeve of Israel, had warned that such a visit would risk being “the prelude to an escalation”.
“The Israeli government of which I am a member will not give in to a vile and murderous organization,” Itamar Ben Gvir replied on Twitter. “If Hamas thinks that threats will deter me, let them understand that times have changed.”
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “determined to strictly uphold the status quo,” noting that other ministers had visited the esplanade in the past.
• What are the reactions of the Arab countries?
A Hamas spokesman described the Israeli minister’s trip as a “crime”: “Our Palestinian people will continue to defend their holy places and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
This is an “unprecedented provocation,” the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in Ramallah, in the West Bank, Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory.
Jordan denounced a “provocation” that heralded “an escalation” and summoned the Israeli ambassador to Amman as the United Arab Emirates called for “an end to serious and provocative violations” at the site.
Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites, and Morocco, whose monarch chairs the Al Quds Committee [Jérusalem]the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation have also condemned it.
In Iran, Israel’s sworn enemy, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced a “violation of international norms and an insult to the values of Muslims in the world.” Israel’s attack “on the holy sites of Jerusalem” will not only blow up the situation inside Palestine, but could blow up the entire region,” Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday night.
• How is the West reacting?
For its part, Berlin called on Tuesday to “avoid actions that could increase tensions.” “The status quoon this esplanade of Jerusalem has “contributed for a long time to maintaining a fragile peace and security around the holy places,” the German ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, stressed on Twitter.
The United States ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, for his part, stressed that “the Biden administration has made it clear to the Israeli government that it opposes any measure that could harm the status quo at holy sites,” according to a spokesman for the US Office of Palestinian Affairs.
Source: BFM TV
