Israeli security minister joins Jewish extremists as they storm al-Aqsa mosque compound

Key Points:

• Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, joined thousands of Jewish extremists in storming Jerusalem’s sensitive holy site, al-Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, in a provocative display that challenges the decades-old status quo banning non-Muslim prayer there.
• Ben-Gvir has eroded the status quo through inflammatory visits, changes to rules for Jewish visitors, and installing an ideological ally as Jerusalem police chief, facilitating greater Jewish presence and prayer at the site.
• The Palestinian ministry condemned the actions as attempts to ignite a religious war, while Jordan and the Islamic Waqf also strongly condemned the violations against Islamic and Christian sanctities in Jerusalem.
• The event occurred on Tisha B’Av, a Jewish holy day marking the destruction of the ancient temples, a date historically linked to heightened tensions and conflict over the site.
• Following the storming, violence erupted in Jerusalem’s Old City with attacks on Palestinians and vandalism of a Muslim cemetery, resulting in police arrests of 16 Jewish suspects.