The Egyptian foreign ministry has called Israel’s far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit yesterday to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem dangerously provocative and “extremist”, Al Jazeera reports.
Despite Jewish religious rites being banned at the site, Israeli police provided security and prevented Palestinians from entering the compound as Ben-Gvir and others prayed and performed religious rituals.
Under long-standard legal conventions, people of multiple faiths are allowed to visit the site but only Muslims are allowed to pray at Al-Aqsa, which is Islam’s third holiest site and a symbol of Palestinian national identity, Al Jazeera notes.
The Palestinian wire service Wafa reports that the statement from the Egyptian government warned that Ben-Gvir’s provocation would inflame Muslims worldwide and called on the UN Security Council to act to stop further violations at the site.
