Tel Aviv, Jul. 27, (dpa/GNA) – Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has paid a renewed visit and made provocative comments at a contested holy site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.
It is sacred to both religions, as it houses al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock shrine, but also the ruins of the Biblical Jewish Temple.
He came to the holy site in the Old City on Thursday morning on the occasion of the Jewish day of fasting and mourning, Tisha BeAv, according to Israeli media reports.
“This is the most important place for the people of Israel to return to, to show that we rule,” he said, according to media reports.
It is the third time Ben-Gvir has visited the site since he took office, with his earlier visits sparking strong condemnation around the world, as Palestinians see the visits as a deliberate provocation.
The Temple Mount, known as Al-Haram al-Sharif in Arabic, with the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is the third holiest site in Islam.
However, it is also sacred to Jews because two Jewish temples used to stand there.
The Temple Mount is under Muslim administration, while Israel is responsible for security. Under the agreement with the Muslim authorities, Jews may visit the site, but not pray there. However, these terms have repeatedly been violated.
Ben-Gvir has called the agreement “racist” and discriminatory against Jews in the past.
Palestinians fear that Israel plans to expand its control of the holy site.
On the day of Tisha BeAv, religious Jews mourn the destruction of the two ancient temples in Jerusalem.
GNA