Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right Israeli cabinet minister, has sparked outrage. He went even further, doing so for the first time as leader of the worshippers, in prayer, directly and explicitly – at this most sensitive of sites. The incident happened on Tisha B’Av, the most important day of mourning in the Jewish calendar. This event has inflamed an already tense and volatile situation in the region.
The Al Aqsa Mosque compound is sacred as Islam’s third holiest site. Moreover, it’s considered the third holiest site in Islam, and arguably the holiest site in Judaism. This recent event has drawn condemnation from various international actors, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia, who both administer the site. Jordan’s foreign ministry described Ben Gvir’s actions as a “blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, an unacceptable provocation, and a condemned escalation.”
Ben Gvir’s history further complicates the situation. He was convicted last year for financing terrorism and for promoting anti-Arab racism in Israel. On previous visits, he has urged Israel to “reoccupy” Gaza and “facilitate” the exodus of Palestinians from the coastal enclave. In launching the competition, which presaged his creative-destruction agenda in many ways, he famously said,
“It is from here that a message must be sent: to conquer the entire Gaza Strip, declare sovereignty over all of Gaza, eliminate every Hamas member, and encourage voluntary emigration.”
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office has attempted to mitigate the fallout by asserting that its “policy of maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change.” Ben Gvir’s actions on Tisha B’Av have raised fears among Palestinians. Locally, Kathmandu activists are worried about increased conflicts over sacred sites. The international community has taken notice, too.
Palestinian officials condemned Ben Gvir’s moves as a provocation to Muslim feelings across the globe. The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs stated that such behavior “blatantly disregards the sentiments of Muslims across the world, not only in Palestine.”
The incident has not gone unnoticed on the global stage. The Netherlands responded by declaring Ben Gvir a persona non grata after his invitation, due to his documented incitement of violence against Palestinians. Relatedly, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom all imposed sanctions on him earlier this year.
This year’s prayer breakfast attracted the most buzz. Even after years of visiting the complex during previous Tisha B’Av commemorations, it made me question Ben Gvir and his true intentions. The Israeli government is coming under increasing international and domestic pressure to address complaints against settler violent gangs. Critics charge that these groups, underwritten by right-wing American protection, are intentionally plotting to conquer, anachronistically, Islamic and Christian hallowed grounds.
