Netanyahu orders ministers to seek approval before visiting Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed ministers during yesterday’s security cabinet meeting to seek his approval before visiting Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.

“The prime minister repeated his directive that the ministers [should] not ascend the Temple Mount without his prior approval via his military secretary,” confirmed Netanyahu’s office. The order followed a raid at Al-Aqsa by far-right lawmaker Yitzhak Kroizer MK earlier in the day and warnings from security officials about a potential escalation.

Moreover, Netanyahu announced at the meeting that there will be no change in the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque which existed before Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967. This dictates that the compound is under the control of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Religious Endowments, which is responsible for managing the mosque’s affairs.

The Israeli authorities changed this status in 2003 by allowing settlers to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque without the approval of the Islamic Waqf, which demands an end to these incursions.

The announcement also comes after the head of the Shin Bet domestic Israeli intelligence agency, Ronen Bar, warned Netanyahu last month that attacks by Jewish settlers and the National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Al-Aqsa Mosque compound are causing “indescribable damage” to Israel. Bar emphasised that the solution doesn’t lie with the Shin Bet but rather requires action from the state’s leaders.

In response, Ben-Gvir’s office accused the Shin Bet head of “trying to spin and attack Minister Ben-Gvir to deflect from the discussion of his responsibility for the concepts and failures that led to 7 October.” The far-right minister’s staff claimed later that Jews have the right to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque, repeating his threat to build a synagogue at the third most sacred site in the Muslim world.

Ben-Gvir has been condemned for his comment, which was the first time that the extremist minister has spoken openly in such a way. He has called repeatedly in recent months for allowing Jewish prayers at Al-Aqsa.

READ: Al-Aqsa in danger, the world must intervene before it’s too late, says Jerusalem Governorate