Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sparks anger by praying at sensitive Jerusalem holy site [View all]

[Celerity]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gjxg65p56o



Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has prayed at a disputed holy site in occupied East Jerusalem, violating a decades-old arrangement at one of the most sensitive places in the Middle East.

Photos and videos of his visit to the site known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as the Temple Mount show Ben-Gvir leading Jewish prayers there. The site is also known as the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Jews are allowed to visit but not pray there.

The Israeli prime minister's office released a statement saying there had been no change to Israel's policy of maintaining the status quo agreement that allows only Muslim worship there. Jordan, custodian of the site, called Ben-Gvir's latest visit "an unacceptable provocation".

Hamas called it "a deepening of the ongoing aggressions against our Palestinian people", while a spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the visit "crossed all red lines".

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