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Ben-Gvir at al-Aqsa
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir joined thousands of Jewish extremists who stormed Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site, the al-Aqsa mosque compound, on Thursday under police protection.
“More than 4,200 Israeli settlers and members of far-right groups have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem in one of the largest incursions this year as they mark a Jewish holiday, Palestinian officials say”
The Guardian reported that Ben-Gvir “joined thousands of Jewish extremists who stormed Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site on Thursday,” describing the group as praying, waving the Israeli flag, and singing the national anthem while non-Muslim prayer is banned under the decades-old status quo.
The Islamic Waqf Department said 3,228 Israelis entered the compound during the morning period, and the Guardian reported that thousands more were expected in the afternoon.
The Guardian also tied the moment to the Gaza war by noting that Hamas gave the name “al-Aqsa flood” to its attack on Israel in October 2023 that killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the Gaza war, claiming it was provoked by Israeli violations at the Jerusalem mosque.
Condemnations and accusations
Peace Now described the events as a “dangerous provocation” at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, saying collective Jewish prayers at the site where “prayer is prohibited” violated the fragile status quo.
The Guardian reported that the Jordanian foreign ministry strongly condemned the storming and called on the international community “to take a firm stance obliging Israel, as the occupying power, to halt its ongoing violations against the Islamic and Christian sanctities in Jerusalem.”
In a separate account, the TRT World described “More than 3,200 illegal Israeli settlers” storming the compound in occupied East Jerusalem and said Israeli police allowed the number of settlers entering each group to increase to around 150.
TRT World also reported that only a very limited number of Palestinians reached the mosque for dawn prayers before Israeli forces assaulted several worshippers and other residents.
Regional security stakes
Arab and Islamic countries condemned the Israeli escalation at Al-Aqsa Mosque/Haram al-Sharif, with the Saudi Press Agency reporting that the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Türkiye, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates condemned the mass incursions “under the protection of Israeli police.”
“Over 1,300 Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound More than 1,300 Israeli settlers have entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound since the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av began on Wednesday evening, according to the Jerusalem Governorate”
The same SPA report said the ministers warned that the acts “constitute a flagrant violation of international law, UN resolutions, and the historic and legal status quo of the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem.”
The Guardian framed the broader stakes by linking changes to the status quo agreement to conflict in Jerusalem and Palestine, including a visit in 2000 by Ariel Sharon that “ignited the second Palestinian intifada, which lasted five years.”
In the immediate aftermath, the Guardian said police arrested 16 Jewish suspects over the violence that followed the overnight marches through areas of old Jerusalem near the compound.
