Israeli hardliner Ben-Gvir repeats call for prayer at Al-Aqsa mosque compound

[August 26, 2024]  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's hardline Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir repeated a call for Jews to be allowed to pray at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, drawing sharp criticism for inflaming tensions as ceasefire negotiators seek a deal to halt fighting in Gaza.  

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visits Al-Aqsa compound also known to Jews as the Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City August 13, 2024, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video. Temple Mount Administration/Handout via REUTERS./File Photo

"The policy allows prayers on the Temple Mount, there is equal law between Jews and Muslims - I would build a synagogue there," Ben-Gvir was quoted as saying by Army Radio in a post on social media platform X, following an interview on Monday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office immediately put out a statement restating the official Israeli position, which accepts decades-old rules restricting non-Muslim prayer at the mosque compound, known as Temple Mount to Jews, who revere it as the site of two ancient temples.

"There is no change to the status quo on the Temple Mount," Netanyahu's office said.

The hillside compound, in Jerusalem's Old City, is one of the most sensitive locations in the Middle East, holy for both Muslims and Jews, and the trigger for repeated conflict.

Ben-Gvir, head of one of two hardline religious-nationalist parties in Netanyahu's coalition, has a long record of making inflammatory statements appreciated by his own supporters, but conflicting with the government's official line.

Monday's comment was condemned by some of his own cabinet colleagues, but Netanyahu's dependence on the support of Ben-Gvir's party to hold his right-wing coalition together means that the minister is unlikely to be sacked or face any significant penalty.

Monday's comments came less than two weeks after he triggered outrage by visiting the compound with hundreds of supporters, many of whom appeared to be praying openly in defiance of the status quo rules.

With negotiators trying to reach a deal to halt the fighting in Gaza and bring back 109 Israeli and foreign hostages, and with tensions running high with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon, Ben-Gvir's comments were criticized for weakening Israel's position.

"Challenging the status quo on the Temple Mount is a dangerous, unnecessary and irresponsible act. Ben-Gvir's actions endanger the state of Israel and its international status," Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who has clashed repeatedly with Ben-Gvir, said in a statement on X.

Ben-Gvir has also been criticized by some Orthodox Jews, who consider the site too holy a place for Jews to enter.

(Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

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