Israel’s police minister visits the Temple Mount – despite warning that Tesla will deliver more cars – but less than expected

Despite warnings, Israel’s new National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem for the first time since taking office on Tuesday.

According to Israeli media reports, he came to the holy site in the old city with police in the early morning. Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian organization that rules the Gaza Strip, had previously warned of such a visit by Ben-Gvir and threatened another serious escalation.

Ben-Gvir wrote after visiting Twitter:

The Temple Mount / Haram al-Sharif with the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. But it is also sacred to Jews because it was home to Jewish temples in biblical times. The Temple Mount is under Muslim rule, while Israel is responsible for its security. According to an agreement with Muslim authorities, Jews are allowed to visit the facility, but are not allowed to pray there. However, there are always violations. Ben-Gvir had criticized this agreement as “racist” and discriminatory against Jews. The Palestinians accuse Israel of seeking to expand its control over the holy site.

On the Palestinian side, Ben-Gvir’s visit is seen as a deliberate provocation. Former Prime Minister of Israel Jair Lapid wrote on Twitter on Monday:

The second Palestinian uprising Intifada began in 2000 after a demonstrative visit to the Temple Mount by then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon.

Ben-Gvir of the far-right Ozma Jehudit was previously convicted of racist hate speech and support for a Jewish terrorist organization. He is considered a political arsonist, especially with regard to the Palestinians. He is part of Benjamin Netanyahu’s new right-wing religious government, which was sworn in in Israel on Thursday.

(yam/sda/dpa)