The controversial far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir has visited Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem on Tuesday, in a move that could dramatically inflame tensions in the region.
The visit, under tight police control, was done early in the morning and in secret, an indication of the controversy surrounding it.
Mr Ben-Gvir, who was recently appointed national security minister in the new Netanyahu government, is the first Jewish minister to visit the holy site in five years. It has been condemned by the Palestinian Authority as “an unprecedented provocation”.
In recent days Hamas, the Palestinian militant group which controls Gaza, warned a visit by Mr Ben-Gvir would “blow up the situation”.
Former Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid, defeated in last November’s elections, also warned against the visit and tweeted that it was a “deliberate provocation” that would “cost lives”.
In response, Mr Ben-Gvir said he went ahead with his visit because he wasn’t going to be deterred by threats from Hamas.
“Those who make threats will be dealt with an iron fist,” he warned in a statement following the visit. “Jews will climb the mountain”.
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Al Aqsa compound, known as Haram al Sharif in Arabic, is a large plaza in Jerusalem’s old city and the third most holy site in Islam, after Medina and Mecca.
To Jews, it is known as The Temple Mount, the site of the first temple constructed by Solomon, the son of King David.
The Western Wall, or “Kotel” in Hebrew, is the last remaining outer wall of the temple and thus the most holy site in the Jewish faith. As such, the site has long been fought over by Muslims and Jews, both of whom lay claim to it.
Israel captured the site from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War, but the Jordanians remain official custodians of the site under a 1994 peace agreement.
Under that sensitive status quo, only Muslims are allowed to pray inside Haram al Sharif with others permitted to visit at strict times during the day. Jewish prayer is strictly banned on the site, although there are numerous examples of that being ignored by a minority.
Mr Ben-Gvir has repeatedly claimed it is an act of racism to prevent Jews from praying on Temple Mount and said that he will try to change laws to allow them to do so.
The relationship between Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan has previously been poor, and the visit by Mr Ben-Gvir is set to worsen it, especially so soon into the Israeli’s new term as prime minister.
In a separate incident, also on Tuesday, a fifteen-year-old Palestinian boy was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in fighting near Bethlehem.
