Israeli minister’s Al-Aqsa raid faces condemnation
JERUSALEM
Israeli Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led hundreds of Israelis into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in annexed east Jerusalem on Tuesday and performed prayers, drawing condemnation both from several countries and Israeli officials.
Ben-Gvir and some 2,250 other Israelis walked through the compound in groups, singing Jewish hymns under the protection of Israeli police.
Ben-Gvir repeated his message that his policy is to allow Jewish prayer at the compound.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is considered the third holiest site in Islam. Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount, believing it to be the location of two ancient Jewish temples.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again rejected Ben-Gvir’s declaration, saying that his move is in violation of the status quo there.
“The setting of policy at the Temple Mount [Al-Aqsa Mosque] is directly subject to the government and the prime minister,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“There is no private policy by a specific minister at the Temple Mount — not by the national security minister nor by any other minister. This is how it has been under all Israeli governments,” the statement continues.
“The incident this morning at the Temple Mount is a deviation from the status quo. Israel’s policy at the Temple Mount hasn’t changed — this is how it has been and how it will continue to be,” it adds.
The Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan slammed the Israeli minister over his raid.
Public spat highlights cracks in coalition
In the meantime, cracks are widening in a public tiff between Netanyahu and his moderate defense minister, the latest spat showing growing discontent with Netanyahu’s handling of the war at a sensitive time.
On Aug. 12, the Israeli media reported that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant condemned Netanyahu’s “nonsense about ‘total victory’” a phrase the prime minister has frequently repeated during the 10-month-old war in Gaza.
Netanyahu has frequently been criticized, including by members of his own government, for lacking clear strategic aims, a post-war plan for Gaza, or even a specific definition of what “total victory” would look like.
Gallant's comments were apparently made during a closed-door hearing before an Israeli parliamentary committee and leaked to the media.
Netanyahu struck back, saying Gallant should have criticized Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar instead.
“When Gallant adopts the anti-Israel narrative, he harms the chances of reaching a hostage release deal,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
