Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has reignited tensions in Jerusalem by openly praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a site deeply revered by both Muslims and Jews. His actions broke with a decades-old understanding that allows Jewish visitors at the site but strictly forbids non-Muslim prayer, drawing intense local and international scrutiny.
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Photos and videos circulating online show Ben-Gvir, flanked by security officers, leading Jewish prayers at the compound—known to Jews as the Temple Mount—in occupied East Jerusalem. This public prayer marks a significant escalation, as it violates the status quo arrangement that has helped maintain a fragile peace at one of the world’s most contested religious sites.
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Despite the Israeli prime minister’s office insisting that national policy remains unchanged, Jordan—the recognized custodian of the site—condemned Ben-Gvir’s visit as “an unacceptable provocation.” Palestinian leaders swiftly echoed these concerns, with Hamas and officials from the Palestinian Authority warning that the move further inflames hostilities and undermines any prospects for stability.
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The al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, has been a flashpoint for decades. Since Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem in 1967, the site has been under a delicate arrangement: Jordan maintains its historical role as custodian, while Israel controls security and access. Any breach of this status quo is viewed as a threat to religious coexistence in the region.
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Palestinian authorities have accused Israel of gradually eroding these long-held arrangements. In recent years, Jewish visitors—often accompanied by Israeli police—have increasingly been observed praying at the site, raising fears among Palestinians of a change in policy and a challenge to Muslim custodianship.
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On Sunday, the Waqf—the Islamic trust overseeing the site—reported that Ben-Gvir was among 1,250 Jews to visit the compound that morning. While Ben-Gvir has previously visited al-Aqsa, this was the first time he did so while publicly engaging in prayer, according to Israeli media.
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During his visit, Ben-Gvir linked the ongoing hostage crisis in Gaza to his actions at the compound, calling for a harder line against Hamas and for the return of Israeli hostages. He reiterated his controversial stance advocating for Israel’s full occupation of Gaza and the encouragement of what he described as “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians—a proposal widely condemned as forced displacement and a potential violation of international law.
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The minister’s actions come as he faces international censure, including sanctions by the UK for his “repeated incitements of violence” against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank. His open defiance of the site’s delicate status quo has once again brought Jerusalem’s holy sites—and the volatile politics surrounding them—into the global spotlight.
