Countries, including the United States, criticized the far-right Israeli lawmaker's provocative visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, saying it threatens the status quo.
Palestinians condemned Israel's national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem as an "unprecedented provocation" and a "declaration of war."
Early on Tuesday, Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, a day after announcing he had postponed the visit amid warnings of unrest.
"Ben-Gvir's intrusion represents an unprecedented provocation, a serious threat to the arena of conflict and contempt to calls to stop (the visit)," the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry blasted the far-right official's tour as "a "legitimization of further incursions to Al-Aqsa Mosque by hard-line settlers."
The ministry held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible "for this brazen assault on Al-Aqsa."
Palestinian Authority spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh warned that Ben-Gvir's visit would "lead to more tension and violence and an explosive situation."
He called on the U.S. "to assume its responsibilities and force Israel to stop its escalation" at Al-Aqsa Mosque "before it is too late," according to state news agency Wafa.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called the visit "a dangerous challenge to the sentiments" of the Palestinians.
'Declaration of war'
In Gaza, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas denounced Ben-Gvir's visit to the Al-Aqsa complex as a "war" on the flashpoint site.
"Ben-Gvir's intrusion is part of the continuing aggression on the holy sites and the war on Arab identity," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement.
"Al-Aqsa Mosque has been and will remain a Palestinian, Arab and Islamic site," the spokesperson said.
Saleh Raafat, an executive committee member of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), condemned Ben-Gvir's visit as a "declaration of war" on the Palestinian people.
In statements to official Palestine Radio, Raafat called on Arab countries with official relations with Israel "to reconsider the shape of these relations."
For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
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 clip that "the whole world is worried" about Ben-Gvir's extremist views.
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.
Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan condemn Ben-Gvir's visit
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were among the nations to condemn a visit Tuesday by Israel's extreme-right new national security minister to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound.
The UAE, which launched diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, "strongly condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard by an Israeli minister," in a foreign ministry statement.
The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, said Washington "has made it clear to the Israeli government it opposes any steps that could harm the status quo in the holy sites."
Any unilateral action that jeopardizes the status quo of Jerusalem holy sites is unacceptable, a White House National Security Council spokesperson said on Tuesday after the visit.
"The U.S. stands firmly for the preservation of the status quo concerning the holy sites in Jerusalem. Any unilateral action that jeopardizes the status quo is unacceptable," the spokesperson said, adding the U.S. calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to preserve his commitment to the status quo of holy sites.
Jordan's foreign ministry spokesperson Sinan Majali slammed the Israeli politician for "breaking into the blessed Al-Aqsa mosque and violating its sanctity."
Jordan summoned the Israeli ambassador in Amman to protest the "storming of the al-Aqsa mosque" in Jerusalem.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sinan al-Majali said the ambassador was handed over a letter of protest to convey immediately to his government.
Jordan, which is the official custodian of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, earlier condemned Ben-Gvir's visit, saying it was a “provocative step” and a “flagrant violation of international law."
Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, condemned the "provocative practices" of Ben-Gvir in a foreign ministry statement.
The Arab League (AL) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also criticized the visit.
The far-right politician has lobbied to allow Jewish prayer there, a move opposed by mainstream rabbinical authorities.
Israel's chief Sephardi rabbi, Yitzhak Yosef, wrote to Ben-Gvir on Tuesday.
"What will people say when they see a minister, an observant Jew, who flouts the rabbinate's position," he said in a letter.
Units of the Israeli security forces accompanied Ben-Gvir, Waqf guards told Agency France-Press (AFP), while a drone hovered above the holy site.
A controversial visit in 2000, by then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon was one of the primary triggers for the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which lasted until 2005.
Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount site, also known as Al-Haram al-Sharif, which contains the holy Islamic places of the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is also revered by Jews, as there have been two temples on the site.
