On Tuesday, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir made another provocative visit to the al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, known as the Temple Mount to the Israelis, and rejected statements from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the status quo at the sensitive religious site hasn’t changed.
Under the decades-old status quo at al-Aqsa, non-Muslims can visit the site but cannot pray there. Ben Gvir made two visits to the site last month and declared Jewish prayer was allowed, and both times Netanyahu quickly released a statement saying the status quo hasn’t changed.
Undeterred, Ben Gvir said on Tuesday that it was “our policy” to allow Jewish prayer at al-Aqsa. “There is great progress here on sovereignty and rule, images of Jews praying here as I’ve said. Our policy is to allow prayer,” he said in a video with al-Aqsa Mosque’s Dome of the Rock in the background.
Netanyahu’s office again issued a statement rebuking Ben Gvir. “It is the Government and the Prime Minister who determine policy on the Temple Mount. There is no private policy of any minister – not the National Security Minister or any other minister – on the Temple Mount. Thus it has been under all governments of Israel,” the office said.
“This morning’s incident on the Temple Mount deviated from the status quo. Israel’s policy on the Temple Mount has not changed; this is how it has been, and this is how it will be,” the statement added.
Ben Gvir, the leader of the Jewish Power party, was accompanied by dozens of Israelis who were seen praying at al-Aqsa, which was permitted by the Israeli police. Ben Gvir’s position as minister of national security puts him in charge of the police, making his declarations all the more provocative.
Al-Aqsa and the rules around it are one of the most sensitive issues between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The Palestinians view any change of the status quo as a sign that Israel could be moving to take over the mosque, which is the third holiest site in Islam.
Israeli police raids on al-Aqsa were a major motivation for Hamas’s attack on southern Israel, which was named al-Aqsa Flood. A source close to Hamas told Reuters back in October 2023: “It was triggered by scenes and footage of Israel storming al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan, beating worshippers, attacking them, dragging elderly and young men out of the mosque. All this fuelled and ignited the anger.”
Stick it to the Palestinians, every way possible.
Israel is in serious need of a mental enema…
Too much ego, not enough, if any:Peace…
Israel leaves alone anyone who doesn't attack them.
They have peace treaties with Egypt and Jordon, and Israeli Arabs have better lives than their cousins in Arab countries, including a longer life. Israel left Gaza in 2005 and did not stop Hamas from getting billions in aid. Unfortunately, Hamas decided that building tunnels and rockets was more important than helping their people. They chose war over peace.
Yet, you think that Israel has mental problems for defending themselves?
Maybe you are the one with the problem.
“Israel leaves alone anyone who doesn’t attack them.”
Sure, if by “doesn’t attack them” you mean “doesn’t live on land Israelis want to steal.”
Expect a response by Hamas…! That's their policy…!
When I read this man's words, it sends a chill, its like reading the thoughts of one of hitlers inner circle. The fact that he is constantly promoting genocide isn't a surprise, it's the fact that it's accepted and nobody in power seems to care about a bloodthirsty mass murderer/politician.
If you think he sounds like Hitler's inner circle, then you have no idea what Hitler's inner circle represented.
You know who doesn't agree with you? Israeli Arabs, who have more rights than any other Arabs. They also have the longest life expectancy in the Arab world. In fact, they have a longer life expectancy than African Americans. Gee, maybe you should look at your own country first before making wild claims about other countries. What have you done to address the inequities in the United States? Let me guess – nothing.
If we gave as much money to those groups as we do to the Israeli regime, they'd have a longer life span.
Yes, we should spend more on health care in the US. I'm sure you are working to make this happen.
However, Israel is, by law, a "major non-NATO alley," so the United States government has certain legal obligations.
https://www.state.gov/major-non-nato-ally-status/
Also, the $3 billion Israel gets in military aid wouldn't help much; for one thing, it's been shown that even when African Americans have the same insurance coverage as White, they still have poorer outcomes. So it's not just about money. The US is a racist society. Again, I'm sure you are working to change this; why not tell us about that?
And the thing is, if Israel is not a US ally, then it will ally with Russia or China. Then the US would not have access to its military and computer technology or the intelligence that it gathers. This could shift the world power balance significantly, especially in the Middle East, greatly affecting oil prices. A huge increase in oil/gas prices would crush the US economy. But I'm sure you know that and don't worry about such things.
Easy solution. Ban ALL
religionsfairy tales.Now what's policy if one wished to sing (or failing that, hum) Madonna's "Like A Prayer" at al-Aqsa ? It's not precisely a prayer. Like one, but not one.
This is one big reason why this conflict and genocide was PLANNED. Alastair Crooke was the first – and so far probably the only one – who identified the intent to demolish the al-Aqsa Mosque as the motivation for the Hamas attack on October 7. The Israeli crazies held a meeting under the mosque and announced their intent to demolish it. They knew that Hamas would have to respond. They didn't realize how effective the response would be – but it didn't matter as it would be the trigger for genocide and for the wider war against Hezbollah and Iran which they all wanted.
Netanyahu isn't "rebuking" Gvir – he's merely covering his own motivations and probably seeking to avoid any further problems inside Israel (he wants conflict to stay outside Israel as much as possible while he deals with the Gaza strip and West Bank.) Not to mention reining in his ministers who are barely under his control.
Absurd. The Hamas philosophy of replacing Israel goes back for decades, and the Oct. 7 attack took years of planning. Did Hamas have a time machine, so they could find out about an event two years before it happened? I didn't know that.
Time for Muslims and Women to march on the Wailing wall. That would be a curious turn of events. This Gvir lunatic must love playing with matches.
Israel left Gaza in 2005, even though Gaza has a Jewish history that goes back to at least Roman times. The Israelis would be fine with leaving Gaza alone if Hamas stopped killing their people.
Israel and Iran are in conflict, but Israel has no aspirations for occupying Iranian land. Israel, Jordan, and Egypt are not in conflict, having peace treaties.