Israeli minister faces backlash after inviting Jews to pray at Temple Mount

Hard-Right Itamar Ben-Gvir urged Jews to break a 1967 agreement, saying there will no longer be a discriminatory policy at the site

Israel’s hard-Right national security minister has been accused of making reckless comments after he invited Jews to break a longstanding agreement and pray at the sacred Temple Mount.
The hillside compound, in Jerusalem’s Old City, is one of the most sensitive locations in the Middle East, holy for Muslims and Jews, which has caused repeated conflicts.
A 1967 agreement between Jordan and Israel stipulates that Jews can visit the Temple Mount but that they cannot pray there.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has long advocated for a change in the status-quo, told Army Radio on Monday that there will no longer be a “discriminatory policy at the Temple Mount”.
Mr Ben-Gvir said if it were up to him the “flag of Israel would have been raised there long ago … a synagogue would also be established on the Temple Mount”.
The comments enraged several of his coalition colleagues who see them as counterproductive to ceasefire negotiations to stop the fighting in Gaza.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, also issued a statement shortly after, saying “there is no change in the status quo”.
“Undermining the status quo on the Temple Mount is an unnecessary and irresponsible act,” said Yoav Gallant, the defence minister. “Ben-Gvir’s actions endanger Israel,” he added.
Ultra-orthodox leaders, who prohibit their supporters from visiting the Temple Mount, have previously condemned Mr Ben-Gvir’s position on the holy site, along with his frequent visits there, which they consider to be in violation of halacha [Jewish law].
Moshe Arbel, the interior minister, from the ultra-orthodox Shas party, called on Mr Netanyahu to “immediately act to correct Ben-Gvir’s comments”, claiming that the minister’s “irresponsible statements put Israel’s strategic alliances with Muslim countries, which are part of the coalition in the fight against the Iranian axis of evil, to the test”.
“His lack of wisdom could cost lives,” Mr Arbel added.
The Temple Mount is the holiest place in the world for Jews, whereas the Al-Aqsa mosque is considered the third holiest for Muslims.
The holy site is seen as one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, often being a flashpoint for violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.