World, Middle East

Far-right Israeli security minister postpones planned visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir postponed planned visit after call with Premier Benjamin Netanyahu, says local media

Said Amouri and Mahmut Geldi  | 03.01.2023 - Update : 03.01.2023
Far-right Israeli security minister postpones planned visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque

JERUSALEM

Amid warnings of unrest, Israel’s new national security minister has postponed his controversial visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem, Israeli media reported late Monday.

According to Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Itamar Ben-Gvir postponed the visit to Al-Aqsa planned for this week after a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu, who just retook the government reins as prime minister.

During the phone call, drawing attention to the threats of Hamas, Ben-Gvir reportedly said that they should not give in to them, voicing his intention to go to Al-Aqsa Mosque in the coming weeks.

Earlier, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported Ben-Gvir’s office had notified the police of his plans to visit the flashpoint site on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The outlet, however, cited a source as saying that Ben-Gvir could postpone his visit.

Palestinian group Hamas, for its part, said it would hold Israel responsible for any consequences from Ben-Gvir’s planned visit.

“Any escalation in Al-Aqsa Mosque will explode the situation and the occupation government will be responsible for this,” Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua said in a statement.

Ben-Gvir holds far-right views on the Palestinians and has called for their displacement. He has repeatedly joined Israeli settlers in storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem.

The far-right politician also caused a wave of escalation in the occupied city after setting up an office in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Last November, Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned in a leaked audio that "the whole world is worried" about Ben-Gvir’s extremist views.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar and Seda Sevencan

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