Israeli Far-Right Minister Visits Al-Aqsa Again, Says He Feels ‘like Owner’
He visited the holy site on Sunday, saying he was seeking greater access for Jewish worshippers and drawing condemnation from Jordan.
The compound in the walled Old City of al-Quds is one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East.
Under a delicate, decades-old arrangement with Muslim authorities, it is administered by a Jordanian religious foundation and Jews can visit but may not pray there.
Suggestions that Israel would alter the rules have sparked outrage among Muslims and ignited violence in the past.
“Today, I feel like the owner here,” Ben-Gvir said in a video filmed at the site and distributed by his office. “There is still more to do, more to improve. I keep pushing the prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) to do more and more — we must keep rising higher and higher.”
A statement from the Jordanian foreign ministry said it considered Ben-Gvir’s visit to be a violation of the status quo agreement at the site and “a desecration of its sanctity, a condemnable escalation and an unacceptable provocation.”
Ben-Gvir’s spokesman said the minister was seeking greater access and prayer permits for Jewish visitors. He also said that Ben-Gvir had prayed at the site.
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There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office. Previous such visits and statements by Ben-Gvir have prompted Netanyahu announcements saying that there is no change in Israel’s policy of keeping the status quo.
Muslim, Christian and Jewish sites, including Al-Aqsa, had been largely closed to the public during the US-Israeli aggression on Iran. There was no immediate sign of unrest on Sunday after Ben-Gvir’s visit.
Source: Arab News
