Qais Abu Samra and Laith Aljnaidi
18 July 2024•Update: 18 July 2024
RAMALLAH, Palestine
Palestine and Jordan condemned an Israeli minister’s incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, calling for international intervention to protect holy sites.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir forced his way into the flashpoint site early Thursday, surrounded by a large number of Israeli troops.
“This intrusion is an official Israeli cover for the continuous incursions and schemes aiming at the Judaization of the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry accused Israel of seeking to impose “forced changes” to the historical and legal status in Jerusalem.
Jordan termed Ben-Gvir’s incursion into the site as “provocative.”
“It represents a provocative and condemned step and reflects the extremist Israeli government’s unilateral actions and systematic policies that disregard international laws and Israel's obligations as the occupying power in occupied Jerusalem,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Palestinian resistance group Hamas called the Israeli minister’s mosque tour a “serious escalation.”
In a statement, Hamas called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League to “take serious action to halt these systematic violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first Qibla of Muslims, and the third holiest site in Islam.”
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
During the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Israel occupied East Jerusalem, which includes Al Aqsa mosque. It annexed the entire city in 1980, which was never recognized by the international community.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala
