Ben Gvir joins Jewish visitors at Al-Aqsa amid tense status quo dispute

Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led hundreds of Jewish visitors into Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Thursday, in a move that again put the site’s fragile status quo under strain, according to AFP and local reporting cited by Dawn. The visit coincided with Tisha B’Av, a Jewish day of mourning that marks the destruction of the First and Second Temples. This year, the fast was observed from Wednesday night through Thursday, and the timing gave the visit added political and religious weight. AFP footage showed Ben Gvir and large numbers of worshippers inside the compound, including Jewish settlers who arrived from early morning. Some were seen performing prayers, a practice that remains highly sensitive because the decades-old arrangement governing the site does not allow Jewish prayer there. In a video posted to his Telegram channel, Ben Gvir framed the visit as a statement of sovereignty, saying Jews were praying there and describing the State of Israel as the authority. His remarks fit a pattern of public challenges to the rules that have long governed one of the most contested religious sites in the region. The compound, in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, is revered by Muslims as Islam’s third holiest site and by Jews as their most sacred place, where the two ancient temples once stood. Under the long-standing “status quo” arrangement, the Islamic foundation under Jordanian custodianship administers the site. Jews may visit, but they are not permitted to pray there, while Muslim worship is meant to continue uninterrupted. That arrangement has been repeatedly tested in recent years, and visits by Ben Gvir and other Jewish groups have drawn condemnation from Jordan, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah and Muslim religious authorities. The latest episode is likely to feed further tensions around Jerusalem’s Old City, where religious symbolism and political claims often overlap. What remains unclear from the available reporting is whether the visit prompted any immediate diplomatic response or any changes on the ground at the compound. But the broader significance is familiar: each high-profile breach of the access rules risks deepening mistrust and reviving disputes that can quickly resonate beyond Jerusalem. For readers outside the region, the issue matters because Al-Aqsa is not just a local flashpoint. It sits at the intersection of religion, sovereignty and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, making even routine visits politically charged. When a senior Israeli minister is visibly present and the site’s prayer rules are openly tested, the message is heard far beyond the Old City walls.

Source: Dawn Home - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017854/israeli-far-right-minister-leads-hundreds-to-al-aqsa-mosque-on-jewish-mourning-day