Jerusalem:

A far-right Israeli minister drew international condemnation Tuesday by praying with thousands of Jews at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in annexed east Jerusalem, defying a ban on Jewish prayer at the flashpoint site.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has often ignored the Israeli government’s longstanding ban, vowed to “defeat Hamas” in Gaza in a video he filmed during his visit.

The compound is Islam’s third holiest site and a symbol of Palestinian national identity, but it is also Judaism’s holiest place, revered as the site of the ancient temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

While Jews and other non-Muslims are allowed to visit the mosque compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem during specified hours, they are not permitted to pray or display religious symbols.

The visit comes at a tense time during the 10-month Israel-Hamas war, with faltering efforts for a ceasefire and Israel braced for threatened attacks from Iran and its proxies.

Ben Gvir’s latest visit drew sharp condemnation from both Muslim countries as well as Western powers, including the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ben Gvir showed “blatant disregard” for the status quo at the site and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent such actions.

“These provocative actions only exacerbate tensions at a pivotal moment when all focus should be on the ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a (Gaza) ceasefire agreement and secure the release of all hostages and create the conditions for broader regional stability,” he said.

Days earlier the White House used strong language to call out another far-right member of Netanyahu’s cabinet, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who criticized President Joe Biden’s push for a Gaza ceasefire.

In recent years, the restrictions at the compound have been increasingly flouted by hardline religious nationalists like Ben Gvir, prompting sometimes violent reactions from Palestinians.

On Tuesday morning, he and some 2,250 other Israelis walked through the compound in groups, singing Jewish hymns, under the protection of Israeli police, an official from the Waqf, the Jordanian body that is custodian of the site, told AFP.

Israeli police also “imposed restrictions” on Muslim worshippers trying to enter the mosque, he said, adding that more than 700 Jews also prayed there in the afternoon.

“Minister Ben Gvir, instead of maintaining the status quo at the mosque, is supervising the Judaisation operation and trying to change the situation inside Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the official said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak on the matter.

– ‘Unduly provocative’ –
Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned the “storming” of the mosque, calling it a “flagrant violation of international law”.

“The continual violations of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its sanctities require a clear and firm international position that condemns these violations,” ministry spokesperson Sufyan al-Qudah said in a statement.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, an umbrella group of Muslim-majority states, “strongly condemned” the incident and said it was a “provocation to the feelings of Muslims all over the world”.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the UN was “against any efforts to change the status quo within the holy sites”. 

“This sort of behaviour is unhelpful and it is unduly provocative,” he added.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell posted on X that the bloc “strongly condemns the provocations” by Ben Gvir.

France’s foreign ministry said in a statement: “This new provocation is unacceptable.”

Images posted on social media networks showed Ben Gvir inside the compound while several Israelis lay on the ground performing Talmudic rituals.

Ben Gvir released a video statement on X, which he filmed inside the compound himself, renewing his opposition to any truce in the war in Gaza.

“We must win this war. We must win and not go to the talks in Doha or Cairo,” he said, referring to the US-backed negotiations for a truce and hostage release deal for Gaza set to resume on Thursday.

“We can defeat Hamas… we must bring them down to their knees,” Ben Gvir said.

Tuesday’s entry into the Al-Aqsa compound comes on the Jewish mourning day of Tisha Be’Av that commemorates the destruction of the ancient temple. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A screen grab taken from AFPTV footage shows Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaking at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on July 17, 2024. Mr. Ben-Gvir, known for his provocative gestures and comments, said Netanyahu must not make a “surrender” accord with Hamas to bring back hostages held in Gaza since October 7.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to troops in southern Gaza on July 18, his office said, just days before he was set to give a speech to the U.S. Congress.

Mr. Netanyahu’s visit to the southern city of Rafah was announced hours after Israel’s far-right national Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. The move could disrupt sensitive talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire in the 9-month-old Israel-Hamas war. Tensions over the compound have fueled past rounds of violence.

Mr. Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist settler leader, said he had gone up to the contested Jerusalem hilltop compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray for the return of Israeli hostages “but without a reckless deal, without surrendering.” Israeli negotiators landed in Cairo on Wednesday to keep working on the talks.

The two leaders’ visits came hours after Israel’s parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. The vote, in an overnight session that lasted into Thursday morning, was largely symbolic and meant to send a message ahead of Mr. Netanyahu’s trip to the U.S.

Mr. Netanyahu’s office announced his visit to Rafah once the Prime Minister had exited the war-torn Palestinian territory, with more details expected later Thursday. He has made at least two previous trips to see troops in Gaza, in November and December.

Israeli forces invaded Rafah in early May, forcing most of the 2 million Palestinians sheltering there to flee. Rafah, once a crucial entry point for humanitarian aid, is now a dusty ghost town full of bullet-riddled apartment buildings with blasted-out walls and shattered windows. Very few civilians remain.

Mr. Ben-Gvir said Thursday while standing in front of the golden dome of Al-Aqsa Mosque that he “is praying and working hard” to ensure that Mr. Netanyahu will not give in to international pressure and will continue with the military campaign in Gaza.

Mr. Ben-Gvir last visited the site in May to protest countries unilaterally recognising Palestinian statehood.

Also Read | Senior Hamas official says group withdrawing from Gaza truce talks

He has been convicted eight times for offences that include racism and supporting a terrorist organisation. As a teen, his views were so extreme that the army banned him from compulsory military service.

As Security Minister, Mr. Ben-Gvir oversees the country’s police force. As a key coalition partner, Mr. Ben-Gvir also has the power to rob Mr. Netanyahu of his parliamentary majority and try to force early elections.

Mr. Ben-Gvir has used his influence to push forward pet projects and encourage Mr. Netanyahu to press ahead with the war in Gaza in the face of widespread calls to reach a cease-fire deal that would bring home hostages.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Mr. Ben-Gvir’s visit as a “provocative intrusion” that endangered the fragile status quo regarding the Jerusalem hilltop compound, which is considered holy for both Muslims and Jews.

The site is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, and by Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, a holy site and important national symbol. Mr. Ben-Gvir has frequently visited the site during times of conflict, drawing condemnation.

On Friday, the U.N.’s International Court of Justice is expected to issue an advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of the Palestinian territories, an ongoing legal case not connected to the current Israel-Hamas war.

Overnight Israeli strikes Thursday in central Gaza killed at least 11 people, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defense organisation and hospitals. At least two children and two women were killed in air strikes on a house and a car.

In recent weeks, Israel has stepped up strikes in central Gaza, where many Palestinians have fled to escape fighting in other parts of the beleaguered territory. Israel’s military said it targeted a senior commander from the militant Palestinian group Islamic Jihad’s naval forces in Gaza City, and another Islamic Jihad commander responsible for launches in the city of Shejayiah.

Israel also said it killed a senior commander affiliated with Hamas and other militant groups in Lebanon. In a statement, Sunni al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, or the Islamic Group, identified him as Mohammad Hamed Jabbara and said he was killed in a strike in the western Bekaa area in Lebanon not far from the Syrian border. The Israeli military described Jabbara as a Hamas operative in Lebanon who helped coordinate Islamic Group attacks targeting northern Israel.

The war in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, has killed more than 38,600 people, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. The war has created a humanitarian catastrophe in the coastal Palestinian territory, displaced most of its 2.3 million population and triggered widespread hunger.

Hamas’ October attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and militants took about 250 hostage. About 120 remain in captivity, with about a third of them believed to be dead, according to Israeli authorities.

Jerusalem:

Israel’s police force said it will deploy thousands of officers across Jerusalem’s Old City for Ramadan’s first Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque, with tensions high amid the Gaza war.

“We are prepared for Friday prayers with more police officers. Thousands of them will be in the area of Temple Mount,” police spokeswoman Mirit ben Mayor told reporters, using the Jewish name for the Al-Aqsa mosque site.

Hundreds of police officers had already been deployed in the Old City in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem since Ramadan began on Monday, she said.

Ben Mayor said up to 25,000 worshippers had already visited the mosque for prayers during the Muslim fasting month of fasting without any incidents.

“We will do everything to enable this Ramadan to be quiet,” she told a news conference.

Asked about clashes that reportedly occurred between police and worshippers on Sunday, government spokeswoman Tal Heinrich said: “We are on high alert”.

“It’s no secret that extremists, terrorist organisations like Hamas and (Palestinian) Islamic Jihad are trying to inflame the region,” she told the news conference.

Last week Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Muslim worshippers would be allowed to access Al-Aqsa mosque in the same numbers as in previous years during the first week of Ramadan.

“Every week there will be a situation assessment in terms of security and safety and a decision will be made accordingly,” it said.

Palestinians coming to Al-Aqsa from the occupied West Bank were expected to face some restrictions, police said in a statement.

Only men aged 55 and older and women over 50 from the territory would be allowed to enter the mosque compound “for security reasons”, government spokesperson Ofir Gendelman said.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir had recently called for stricter restrictions on Palestinian residents of the West Bank, saying they “should not be allowed” entry to Jerusalem to pray during Ramadan.

The Al-Aqsa mosque is the third holiest site in Islam, and although its management technically falls under Jordan’s authority, Israel imposes restrictions in and around the complex.

Clashes often erupt at the site between Muslim worshippers and Israeli security forces.

This year Ramadan comes with Israel engaged in a devastating war with Palestinian Hamas group in the Gaza Strip.

The war broke out after the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas that resulted in the death of around 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has since then killed at least 31,184 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

On the eve of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Jerusalem’s Old City bears few of its usual hallmarks of festivity.

Nearly half of the grotto-shaped gift shops are sealed behind metal shutters. The narrow streets that run toward Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site, are eerily empty. Absent are the fairy lights and shining lanterns that would usually dangle above hurried worshippers.

Also read | Gaza war has “ruptured any sense of a shared humanity”: ICRC

Ramadan preparations in Jerusalem, the spiritual heart of the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, have been subdued because of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, now in its sixth month. With more than 30,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza and hundreds of thousands going hungry, there’s little room for expressions of joy.

“This will be the black Ramadan,” Abu Mousam Haddad said in front of his coffee stand near Damascus Gate, one of the Old City’s main entrances.

But over the next few days, attention is likely to shift from Gaza to Al-Aqsa, which has been a frequent flashpoint for quickly escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence in the past.

Hamas, which portrayed its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel as a battle for Muslim rights at Al-Aqsa, seeks such an eruption now in the hopes of engaging Israeli forces on new fronts and improving its leverage in Gaza cease-fire talks.

The militants have urged Palestinians across Israel and the occupied West Bank to stream to the mosque during Ramadan to challenge anticipated Israeli restrictions on worship and movement.

Although such restrictions often triggered past clashes, it’s not clear if Palestinians will risk confrontations in the current climate in which Israeli forces are clamping down hard on any perceived threats.

“There is great fear among people about what Ramadan will look like this year and how the Israeli police will behave regarding the entry and exit … into the city,” said Imad Mona, who owns a bookshop outside the Old City.

Israel has limited access to Al-Aqsa to varying degrees over the years, including by barring young men, citing security concerns. The Israeli government has provided few details ahead of this year’s Ramadan, which could start as early as Sunday evening. But it has said some Palestinians from the West Bank will be allowed to pray at Al-Aqsa

In the past, Israeli forces raiding the sacred compound have clashed with stone-throwing Palestinians who barricaded themselves inside, at times to protest Israeli access restrictions. Such clashes have triggered escalations, including Hamas rocket fire, which set off a brief Israel-Hamas war in 2021.

The compound has long been a deeply contested religious space, as it stands on the Temple Mount, which Jews consider their most sacred site. It lies in east Jerusalem, a section of the city Israel occupied during the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed. Palestinians want to make it the capital of their own future state.

The United States and other international mediators had pushed for a Gaza cease-fire to coincide with the start of Ramadan. However, there has been no breakthrough.

Israel remains committed to continuing its invasion and annihilating Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages on Oct. 7. The militant group freed dozens of hostages during a November truce, but it refuses to release more without guarantees of a complete end of hostilities.

Most Old City shop owners declined to share their views about the coming Ramadan. Scores of Palestinians have been detained by Israel over social media posts about the war in Gaza since it started.

Some who would speak said that more Israeli police have been deployed in the Old City since October. Young Palestinian men are reguarly barred from entering the Al-Aqsa compound for noon prayers on Fridays since the war started, according to the store owners. This has fueled speculation about other possible restrictions. The Israeli police did not respond to requests for comment.

According to Israeli media, the country’s firebrand National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, has been pushing to keep out all West Bank Palestinians, as well as young men who are among the more than 2 million Palestinian citizens of Israel. His spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

The Israeli military body in charge of Palestinian affairs in the West Bank, known as COGAT, said Friday that some Muslims from the West Bank would be allowed in from the territory for Ramadan prayers, but it didn’t elaborate. Last year, hundreds of thousands were able to enter, most of them women, children and elderly men.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also been vague, saying only that similar numbers of people as last year would be allowed for prayers at Al-Aqsa during the first week of Ramadan. He said this will be evaluated on a weekly basis throughout the month. No further details were made public.

Under an informal arrangement since 1967, the compound is administered by a Jordanian-based Muslim religious body known as the Waqf. Jews are allowed to visit the compound, but not to pray there. The agreement has broken down in recent years as large groups of Jews, including hard-line religious nationalists, have regularly visited. Some among them have attempted to pray at the site.

In the days leading up to Ramadan, West Bank Palestinians have been unsure whether they would be able to attend prayers.

In general, Palestinians in the territory need a permit to enter east Jerusalem, which Israel considers part of its united capital, though its annexation is not recognized by most of the international community. Since Oct. 7, Israel has forbidden Palestinians from entering Jerusalem or any part of Israel.

“It is the dream of every Palestinian, Muslim and Arab to pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque” during Ramadan, said Akram al Baghdadi, a Ramallah resident who has extended family scattered across the West Bank and Gaza.

The holy month also threatens to heighten divisions within Israel’s unruly cabinet, with ministers already split over how to conduct the Gaza war.

In a post on X, Ben Gvir denounced Netanyahu’s decision to allow Palestinians access to Al-Aqsa for Ramadan prayers. He wrote that “Hamas celebrations on the Temple Mount” do not equate to “a complete victory,” a reference to Netanyahu’s wartime battle cry.

Ben Gvir, who has visited the Al-Aqsa compound several times, is also a vocal opponent of any cease-fire arrangement with Hamas. He has repeatedly called for the removal of Palestinians from Gaza and the establishment of Israeli settlements — ideas that most Cabinet members oppose.

Months of conflict and tension have also brought economic hardship, with a lack of tourists and Palestinians shopping in the Old City.

“Its not just my shop that is affected, but all the traders here, too,” said Jihad Abu Salih, a sweets and pastry merchant from the city. “It’s sad.”

Jerusalem:

Israel will allow as many Muslim worshippers to access Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem during the first week of Ramadan as in previous years, the prime minister’s office said Tuesday.

“In the first week of Ramadan, worshippers will be allowed to enter the Temple Mount, in similar numbers to those in previous years,” the statement said, using the Jewish term for the site.

“Every week there will be a situation assessment in terms of security and safety and a decision will be made accordingly,” it added.

Every year, tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers perform Ramadan prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque.

Ramadan comes this year as Israel wages a relentless military campaign in the Gaza Strip in response to a deadly attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7.

Israel has been assessing how to address worship in Jerusalem during Ramadan, the Islamic fasting month due to start on March 10 or 11, depending on the lunar calendar.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir had recently said that Palestinian residents of the West Bank “should not be allowed” entry to Jerusalem to pray during Ramadan.

“We cannot take risks,” he said, adding: “We cannot have women and children hostage in Gaza and allow celebrations for Hamas on the Temple Mount.”

Ben Gvir leads a hard-right party advocating Jewish control of the compound.

Days later, the United States called on Israel to allow Muslims to worship at Al-Aqsa.

“It’s not just a matter of granting people religious freedom that they deserve… it’s also a matter that directly is important to Israel’s security,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

“It is not in Israel’s security interest to inflame tensions in the West Bank or in the broader region.”

Hamas has called for a mass movement on Al-Aqsa for the start of Ramadan.

“Ramadan is sacred to Muslims; its sanctity will be upheld this year, as it is every year,” the Israeli government statement said after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting of all security agencies on Tuesday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)