(ZENIT News / Jerusalem, 17.08.2024).- The recent incident in Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, carried out by Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s Minister of National Security, has sparked a wave of international criticisms, led by the United States’ Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. This conflict was unleashed when Ben Gvir visited the Esplanade of the Mosques and said that Jewish prayer was permitted in the Temple Mount, contradicting the delicate status quo that governs this sacred site in Jerusalem.
Ben Gvir’s statements and actions have been seen as a provocation, which could fuel even more tensions in a region that is already highly volatile. Blinken stressed that such measures only aggravate the tensions at a time in which attention should focus on diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire and the release of hostages, pointing out that Washington firmly supports the maintenance of the status quo in Jerusalem’s holy sites.
The international community has reacted firmly. The United States, the European Union, the United Nations, France, Jordan, Egypt and several countries of the Gulf have energetically condemned Ben Gvir’s actions. Through its top representative Josep Borrell, the European Union said the provocations are unacceptable, while the United Nations and other key actors warned of the danger of altering the fragile balance in the site, known as Al-Aqsa for Muslims and as Temple Mount for Jews.
For its part, the Israeli Government has attempted to distance itself from Ben Gvir’s statements, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office reaffirming that the policy regarding the Temple Mount has not changed and continues being the exclusive competence of the Israeli Government and of the Prime Minister, not of a particular Minister.
The situation is extremely delicate, with reports of an increase in terrorist threats after Ben Gvir’s visit to the site. Israeli security officials expressed their concern that these acts might exacerbate the tensions with the Israeli Arab population and spark a new escalation of violence, a risk that is intensified in the midst of efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. The status quo that has governed the Temple Mount, permitting Muslims to pray there and non-Muslims to visit in restricted hours, is regarded as essential to avoid a greater conflict in the region. However , any attempt to modify it, as proposed by Ben Gvir, could have grave and unforeseeable consequences.
