Israel’s far-right nationwide safety minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has entered the compound that homes the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, in a transfer that threatens a backlash from Palestinians who’ve labelled the act an “unprecedented provocation”.
Ben-Gvir was seen on the website on Tuesday beneath heavy safety.
“Our authorities is not going to give up to the threats of Hamas,” Ben-Gvir stated in an announcement printed by his spokesman, after the Palestinian group that governs the besieged Gaza Strip warned that such a transfer would cross a “purple line”.
Ben-Gvir has lengthy referred to as for higher Jewish entry to the holy website, which is considered by Palestinians as provocative and as a possible precursor to Israel taking full management over the compound. Main rabbis forbid Jews from praying on the positioning.
Ben-Gvir wrote on Twitter after his go to that the positioning “is open to all and if Hamas thinks that if it threatens me it can deter me, they need to perceive that instances have modified”.
ממשלת ישראל שאני חבר בה לא תיכנע לארגון מרצחים שפל. הר הבית פתוח לכולם ואם החמאס חושב שאם הוא יאיים עליי זה ירתיע אותי, שיבינו שהשתנו הזמנים. יש ממשלה בירושלים! pic.twitter.com/vgDYBYacJG
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) January 3, 2023
Ofir Gendelman, who has lengthy served as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Arabic-language spokesman, launched a video saying that the “scenario is totally calm” on the holy website following Ben-Gvir’s departure.
The go to seems to have been calculated to keep away from a direct confrontation with Palestinians, having come early within the morning, and a day after Ben-Gvir had appeared to backtrack from his plans, thereby avoiding a gathering of Palestinians on the website.
Nonetheless, the Palestinian overseas ministry stated it “strongly condemns the storming of Al-Aqsa mosque by the extremist minister Ben-Gvir and views it as unprecedented provocation and a harmful escalation of the battle”.
Israel’s opposition chief and former prime minister Yair Lapid had warned on Monday that Ben-Gvir’s deliberate entrance to the compound would result in violence, and referred to as it a “deliberate provocation that may put lives at risk”.
Ben-Gvir was sworn in final week as a part of a brand new far-right authorities led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel’s far-right nationwide safety minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has entered the Al-Aqsa compound in what Palestinians say is an ‘unprecedented provocation’ – as solely Muslim worshippers are allowed on the website ⤵️
🔗: https://t.co/BUIBlEFxqF pic.twitter.com/bZB6iZgBDi
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 3, 2023
On the compound, Islam’s third holiest website after Mecca and Medina, solely Muslim worship is allowed beneath the established order. The Israeli far proper has been trying to vary this and permit Jewish prayer on the website, regardless of opposition from many ultra-Orthodox Jews and prohibition from main rabbis.
Palestinians worry that this may occasionally result in a change to the established order of the positioning, as far-right Israelis have been calling for a Jewish temple to be constructed there rather than the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli media had reported that Netanyahu had been negotiating with Ben-Gvir after it emerged that he was planning to enter the positioning, in an effort to get him to name off his plans.
Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s entrance to the positioning in 2000 sparked the second Palestinian Intifada or rebellion.
Al Jazeera’s Sara Khairat, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, stated Ben-Gvir spent a brief period of time within the compound “within the early hours of this morning”.
“That’s no shock due to the provocation that it will trigger particularly amongst the Palestinians and the Muslim world,” Khairat stated.
“[Ben-Gvir] additionally has sweeping powers over the police, [so it] got here as no shock that this choice [to enter the Al Aqsa compound] would occur in a short time.
“We’re going to count on loads of pressure from the Palestinians. Already, safety has been stepped up amongst the Israelis.”
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem stated that Ben-Gvir getting into the positioning on Tuesday was “a continuation of the Zionist occupation’s aggression on our sacred locations and struggle on our Arab identification”.
“Our Palestinian folks will proceed defending their holy locations and Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he stated.
Ben-Gvir’s acknowledged intention of getting into the positioning earlier this week drew threats from Hamas.
“Any escalation in Al-Aqsa Mosque will explode the scenario and the occupation authorities can be accountable for this,” Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua stated in an announcement printed on Monday.
Analyst Nasser al-Hidmi, instructed Al Jazeera from Jerusalem that he believes “this raid was a publicity stunt” to reveal “the occupation’s sovereignty over the Al-Aqsa mosque and that the brand new authorities doesn’t bend to threats by the Palestinian armed resistance actions.
“There was an settlement between [Ben-Gvir] and Netanyahu – a dialogue – that the raid would happen on this method so as to each reveal sovereignty whereas additionally avoiding frightening the Palestinian folks in Jerusalem,” al-Hidmi stated.
“[The raid] occurred at a time when there have been few Palestinians contained in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound and the go to lasted 13 minutes. All of that is an expression of Ben-Gvir’s fears.”
Ben-Gvir holds far-right views in direction of the Palestinians and has referred to as for his or her displacement. He has repeatedly joined Israeli settlers in getting into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which has led to confrontations with Palestinians previously.
Israeli forces stormed the compound in Might 2021, resulting in battle with Palestinians which led to Israel attacking Gaza later the identical month.
Ben-Gvir additionally prompted a wave of escalation in occupied East Jerusalem after establishing an workplace in February within the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, the place Palestinians face mass expulsion.
A settler in Kiryat Araba, some of the right-wing settlements within the illegally occupied West Financial institution, which isn’t recognised beneath worldwide regulation, Ben-Gvir has been convicted of incitement to racism, destroying property, possessing a “terror” organisation’s propaganda materials and supporting a “terror” organisation – Meir Kahane’s outlawed Kach group, which he joined when he was 16.
Ben-Gvir was additionally infamous for displaying on his wall an image of Baruch Goldstein, the American Israeli who massacred 29 Palestinian worshippers on the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in 1994.
Final November, Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned in a leaked audio that “the entire world is apprehensive” about Ben-Gvir’s views.
Al-Hidmi stated that within the coming yr, “extra extremism and extra violations towards the Palestinian folks and their holy websites” may be anticipated.
“Hamas and the armed teams in Gaza usually are not focused on going into one other confrontation with the occupation, however they’re focused on mobilising the West Financial institution. It’s clear that the West Financial institution is aware of this course, which is worrying the occupation.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli troopers shot and killed a Palestinian teenager within the occupied West Financial institution, Palestinian well being officers and witnesses stated. There was no speedy touch upon the incident from the Israeli military.
“Israeli forces turned up in Bethlehem to make an arrest at a refugee camp. Within the course of, there have been loads of confrontations between Palestinians and Israelis and because of this, a young person was shot within the chest and killed,” Khairat stated.