Al-Aqsa Mosque stormed by far-right Israeli minister for fifth time 

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister stormed into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem yesterday, accompanied by a group of Israeli soldiers. Palestinian worshippers were barred from entering the site while Itamar Ben-Gvir was there.

“I came here, to the most important place of the State of Israel [sic] and to the people of Israel, to pray for the return of the abductees to their home,” said right-ring extremist Ben-Gvir, “but without an illegitimate deal and surrender.” This was a reference to any ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, which he opposes.

The incident on Wednesday marked the fifth time that Ben-Gvir has raided the mosque by force since becoming an Israeli minister in December 2022. The leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party is well-known for encouraging Israeli settlers to storm Al-Aqsa.

In response, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned Ben-Gvir’s publicity stunt as an unacceptable provocation. According to Wafa news agency, the ministry slammed the extremist Israeli government’s ongoing unilateral actions and policies that defy international laws and Israel’s obligations as an occupying power in Jerusalem.

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Sufian Qudah, the ministry’s official spokesperson, stated that the Israeli minister’s actions violated the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and was a blatant and unacceptable breach of international law and the established historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its sacred sites.

Palestinian activists from Jerusalem and citizens of Israel have called on Muslims to increase their presence in Al-Aqsa to repel settler incursions and challenge Israeli ambitions to control and Judaise the Islamic site.

Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is the third-holiest site in the world for Islam and Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, and there are plans to knock down the mosque and other Islamic buildings across the Noble Sanctuary, including the iconic Dome of the Rock Mosque, and build a temple in their place.

Israel has allowed settlers into the compound almost daily since 2003, even though Jews who adhere to the tenets of Judaism are forbidden to enter the sanctuary in case they unwittingly enter the site of the so-called “Holy of Holies” in an impure state.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognised by the international community, which regards Jerusalem as occupied territory.

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