Israeli far-right minister leads hundreds to Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jewish mourning day

Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led hundreds of Israeli Jews into Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday, a move that challenged the site's decades-old status quo. The visit occurred on Tisha B'Av, a Jewish day of mourning commemorating the destruction of ancient temples.

Video footage showed Ben Gvir and worshippers at the compound, with some performing prayers. Ben Gvir stated in a video posted on Telegram, "Look at what’s happening here: Jews are praying and feel that they are the rightful owners here." He added, "Everywhere, people understand that the State of Israel is the sovereign authority."

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Look at what’s happening here: Jews are praying and feel that they are the rightful owners here. Everywhere, people understand that the State of Israel is the sovereign authority. There is still more to do, and with God’s help, we will continue to move forward.

The Al-Aqsa compound, located in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, holds deep religious significance for both Islam and Judaism. An arrangement between Israel and Jordan, which administers the site, permits Jewish visits but prohibits prayer, while Muslim worship continues uninterrupted.

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Jordan firmly rejects and strongly condemns the continued incursions by Israeli officials, Knesset members and extremist settlers into Al-Aqsa mosque, as well as the role of Israeli police in facilitating these actions.

In recent years, Ben Gvir and other Jewish visitors have increasingly tested these boundaries, including through open prayer, drawing criticism from Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Muslim religious bodies. Jordan's foreign ministry spokesperson, Fouad Al-Majali, condemned the visit as "unacceptable attempts to impose new realities at Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif."

Turkey also denounced Ben Gvir's actions, urging the international community to prevent what it called "provocative actions and attempts to create faits accomplis" by the Israeli government that violate the site's historical and legal status. Despite these incidents, the Israeli government publicly maintains its policy on the status quo remains unchanged.

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We remind the international community that it is a shared responsibility to prevent the Netanyahu government’s provocative actions and attempts to create faits accomplis, which violate the historical and legal status of holy sites in Jerusalem, particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque, which belongs exclusively to Muslims.