Video challenging gesture of an Israeli minister in one of the most holy places for Muslims
Itamar Ben-Gvir (center, with a raised hand), at the head of a group of Jews who entered the perimeter of the Al-Aqsa Mosque: Gazi Samad / AFP / Profimedia
The far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Minister of National Security, visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque area and said he had prayed there, violating the rules set for one of the most sensitive and political places in the Middle East, writes Reuters.
According to an agreement in force for decades concluded with the Muslim authorities, the perimeter of the Aqsa is administered by an Jordanian religious foundation, and the Jews can only visit the area, not pray there.
The images published by a small Jewish organization entitled The Administration of the Temple Mountain shows Ben-Gvir at the head of a group of people going through the area. Other clips that travel online seem to show him Ben-Gvir praying.
The visit to the area that the Jews call the Mount of Temple took place on the day of Tisha B'av, a day of post that commemorates the destruction of the Jewish temples that were erected there, the first by King Solomon, the second by Herod the Great. WAQF, the foundation that manages the complex, claims that Ben-Gvir has been among the 1,250 people who climbed the mountain and would have prayed and danced there.
National Security Ministry Itamar Ben Gvir Seen Reciting A Prayer, Contrary to the Status quo, on the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa Mosque Compound. pic.twitter.com/ndpz8dzt37
– Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسير (@ariel_oseran) August 3, 2025
The official position of Israel accepts the rules that prohibit the prayers of non-Muslims in the area, which is among the holy places of Islam, after Mecca and Medina, and the most sacred in Judaism. Ben-Gvir also visited the site and in the past asking to be allowed and the Jewish prayer what determined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that this is not a policy of the state of Israel.
Ben-Gvir said, in a statement, that he had prayed for the victory of Israel on the Palestinian group Hamas in the war in Gaza and for the return of Israeli hostages there. He reiterated the appeal for Israel to occupy the entire enclave.
The perimeter on the hill in Jerusalem Old is one of the sensitive locations in the Middle East. The proposals that Israel to change the rules there have caused anger in the Muslim world in the past and generated violence. For now, no incidents have appeared after Ben-Gvir's visit.
A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas condemned Ben-Gvir's visit, who said he “overcame all red lines.”
“The international community, especially the US administration, must immediately intervene and end the crimes of colonists and challenges of the extreme-right government at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, end the war in the Gaza strip and bring humanitarian help,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh.
