Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday morning for the first time in about 8 months, and made statements threatening the Hamas movement and attacking countries that recognized the Palestinian state.
The Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said in a statement that “Ben Gvir stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque,” without further details.
Ben Gvir carried out his unannounced raid amidst a heavy security and police escort, while a circulating video clip showed one of his companions performing Talmudic rituals in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
This is the extremist minister’s first incursion into the mosque since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, and the fourth since his appointment as Minister of National Security at the end of 2022.
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir storms the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque amid heavy guard from the occupation forces, coinciding with the Hebrew “Passover” holiday. #Gaza_War #video pic.twitter.com/UxEorIESIl
– Tel Aviv Tribune Palestine (@AJA_Palestine) May 22, 2024
Ben Gvir said in a tweet on Twitter, “This morning I climbed the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa Mosque),” claiming that it is “the holiest place for the people of Israel, which belongs only to the State of Israel.”
He added, “The countries that today recognized the Palestinian state are giving a reward to the cowardly, murderers and aggressors, and I say we will not even allow the declaration of a Palestinian state.”
He continued, “In order to destroy Hamas, you must go to Rafah until the end and make a radical change. In order to return our prisoners, we must stop fuel, prove that aid in exchange for aid is only aid, and control this most important (Al-Aqsa) place.”
The previous raids on Itamar Ben Gvir had previously caused angry reactions in the Arab and Islamic worlds, as well as international criticism.
According to a source in the Islamic Endowments Department to Tel Aviv Tribune Net, the number of people who stormed the mosque in the morning today reached 327, including 127 extremist settlers who stormed the mosque with security guards, including Ben Gvir, and more than 200 Jewish students who usually storm the mosque with guides to receive Torah explanations but without guards. a wish.
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir stormed the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday morning under heavy protection from the Israeli police and occupation forces. pic.twitter.com/arjn9ohn9W
– Tel Aviv Tribune Net | Jerusalem (@Aljazeeraquds) May 22, 2024
Since 2003, the Israeli police have unilaterally allowed settlers to storm the mosque under their guard, which the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem demands to stop, but Tel Aviv does not respond to its repeated requests.
The storming of Ben Gvir coincided with Norway, Ireland, and Spain simultaneously announcing their official recognition of the State of Palestine and granting it all rights and duties as an independent state, as of May 28.
The three European countries took the decision to recognize the State of Palestine based on the fact that the only way to establish peace in the region is to “ensure the two-state solution,” especially with the prolonged Israeli war in the Gaza Strip, and the resulting thousands of civilian deaths, according to official statements.