SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, accompanied by settlers and Israeli occupation forces, stormed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday, August 31, performing prayers and calling for a Jewish temple to be built on the site.
Ben-Gvir declared plans to alter the historical status quo of Islam’s third-holiest site and performed Talmudic prayers and rituals in the eastern section of the mosque’s courtyards, Al Jazeera reported.
Non-Muslims are not allowed to perform prayers at the site as part of the 1967 status quo agreement; however, Jewish people are allowed to visit the compound.
Ben-Gvir has stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound several times since taking office in 2022. He is part of a settler movement calling for a Jewish synagogue to be built in place of the Muslim holy site.
On August 30, Ben-Gvir had posted footage from a prison holding Palestinian women on his X account and boasted about being responsible for the harsh conditions inflicted on them, according to an Al Jazeera report.
In a post accompanying the video, the minister said that the “whining” of prisoners over their conditions would not influence him, as Israeli captives in Gaza had not enjoyed adequate conditions.
“I’ll continue to lead a policy of the bare minimum of the minimum,” he said. Since assuming office in late 2022, Ben-Gvir has pushed for harsher conditions for Palestinian prisoners, including reducing food and water supplies, restricting family visits, limiting shower times and removing privileges inside prison sections.
Jordan condemns Al-Aqsa incursion
Jordan, which serves as a custodian of Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites, condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa, calling it a “blatant violation of the existing historical and legal status quo at Al Haram Al Sharif, a desecration of its sanctity, a condemned escalation, and an unacceptable provocation.” Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
Fouad Majali, spokesperson of Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the entire Al Aqsa Mosque compound was an exclusively Muslim place of worship, with the Jerusalem Awqaf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, under Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf, having exclusive jurisdiction over its administration.
SOURCE : SIASAT
