The mountain, home to the Wailing Wall and the Muslim Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque, is considered the holiest place in Judaism and the third most revered place by Muslims.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir prayed at a disputed religious site in Jerusalem, breaking agreements with the Muslim community. For his actions, he thus earned condemnation from the public, TASR writes, according to a Thursday report by the DPA agency.
“I went to our shrine to pray for our soldiers and also for the quick return of all hostages and with God’s help for victory (for Israel in the war with the Hamas militant movement in the Gaza Strip),” Ben Gvir wrote in a post on the X social network on Thursday.
According to agreements with the Muslim authorities, Jews can visit a place called the Temple Mount at precisely specified times. But they cannot pray there or display their own religious symbols. However, according to the DPA, there are repeated violations of applicable regulations.
On top of the mountain are the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which are among the holiest Muslim buildings. The Temple Mount is also the holiest place in Judaism, because the Jerusalem temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 stood there. The remains of its outer walls are the so-called The Wailing Wall, where Jewish pilgrims from all over the world come to pray.
The DPA agency reminds that the minister has violated the agreement repeatedly, but at the same time emphasized that his actions remain without consequences. In response to Ben Gvir’s latest provocations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the “status quo” regarding the Temple Mount had not changed.
