Mideast nations condemn Israel minister’s visit to Al-Aqsa compound

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were among nations to condemn a visit yesterday by Israel’s extreme-right new national security minister to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.The move by Itamar Ben-Gvir has enraged Palestinians, while the United States warned of steps which may harm the status quo."Our government will not surrender to the threats of Hamas,” Ben-Gvir vowed in a statement published by his spokesman, after the Palestinian group warned such a step was a "red line”. Ben-Gvir’s visit comes days after he took office as national security minister, with powers over the police, giving his decision to enter the highly sensitive site considerable weight.Under a longstanding status quo, non-Muslims can visit the site at specific times but are not allowed to pray there.The UAE, "strongly condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard by an Israeli minister”. The US ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, said Washington "has made it clear to the Israeli government it opposes any steps that could harm the status quo in the holy sites”. Lying in the walled Old City of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, the compound is administered by Jordan’s Waqf Islamic affairs council, with Israeli forces operating there and controlling access.After his visit, Ben-Gvir vowed to "maintain the freedom of movement”.Ben-Gvir was accompanied by units of the Israeli security forces, Waqf guards said.Secretary-General of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) Dr Nayef Falah Mubarak al-Hajraf condemned the provocation by the Israeli minister, QNA reported.In a statement, al-Hajraf expressed his regret for the practices carried out by the Israeli occupation authorities that undermine international peace efforts and contradict international principles and norms on respecting religious sanctities.GCC secretary-general stressed the firm stance of the GCC council to stand by the Palestinian people, to support all efforts aimed at ending the occupation, and to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue in a way that enables the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) has also strongly condemned the minister’s storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa under the protection of the Israeli forces, QNA added. It deemed such practices as provocation for all Muslims’ feelings and a flagrant violation of the relevant international resolutions.Jordan’s foreign ministry spokesman Sinan Majali said Amman summoned the Israeli ambassador, to "convey a protest message about the recklessness of the Israeli national security minister in storming the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque”. Saudi Arabia condemned the "provocative practices” of Ben-Gvir.And Iran called the visit a "violation of international regulations and an insult to the values and sanctities of the Muslims,” with a foreign ministry spokesman warning of a response from "Muslim nations”. While Ben-Gvir has visited the compound numerous times since entering parliament in April 2021, his presence as a top minister is highly significant.A controversial visit in 2000 by then opposition leader Ariel Sharon was one of the main triggers for the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which lasted until 2005.The Palestinian foreign ministry called Ben-Gvir’s visit a "serious threat”. Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, last week warned such a step would be "a big red line and it will lead to an explosion”. Yesterday, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem deemed it a "crime” and vowed the mosque compound "will remain Palestinian, Arab, Islamic”.Hamas rules the Gaza Strip and in May 2021 an 11-day war broke out between Palestinian fighters based in the territory and Israel, after violence at Al-Aqsa Mosque.Hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israeli police were wounded in the preceding clashes across east Jerusalem, initially sparked by restrictions on Palestinians gathering and eviction threats against residents.During this period, Ben-Gvir rallied his supporters in Israeli settler homes in east Jerusalem, which has been occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967.The foreign ministry of Egypt — which serves as a key mediator in Gaza — warned "of the negative consequences of such actions on security and stability” in the Palestinian territories and the wider region.A man walks near Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, yesterday.