Gazan Islamist group Hamas has threatened “explosive violence” if Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visits the Temple Mount in East Jerusalem, Lebanese media outlet Al Mayadeen reported on Tuesday.
HAMAS’ WARNING
Reportedly, Hamas told Egyptian and UN mediators that “it would not stand idly by” if Ben Gvir visits the sensitive site. Further, the group sent “strongly worded messages” to international mediators that such a move would “blow things up”.
Hamas spokesperson Abd Al Latif Al Qanou told Al Mayadeen that Ben Gvir’s announcement to visit the site “reflects the arrogance of the fascist settler government and its premeditated intentions to escalate incursions and attacks.” He warned that his group would hold newly-elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government responsible for its minister’s actions.
BEN GVIR’S POTENTIAL VISIT
Last week, Ben Gvir informed Israeli public broadcaster Kan of his intention to visit the Temple Mount this week, saying he is against the status-quo that prohibits Jews from praying in the site.
He said it is important that the media is taking special interest in his visit, urging them to keep covering his plans.
Ben Gvir, a member of the orthodox Otzma Yehudit party, has long been regarded as a provocateur. He has made anti-Arab statements in the past and has been accused of working with a Jewish extremist organisation.
Surreal scenes as extremist Itamar Ben Gvir, a troublemaker targeted for decades by the security services and the man Israel Police held responsible for igniting the riots of May, 2021, is received by a police honor guard today as Minister of National Security. pic.twitter.com/N4O3ABWe73
— Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي (@NTarnopolsky) January 1, 2023
Furthermore, he sparked tensions in Sheikh Jarrah in May 2021 by establishing an office in the area, angering Palestinians. The Sheikh Jarrah clashes eventually led to an 11-day conflict in Gaza that killed over 200 Palestinians and 12 Israelis.
Against this backdrop, ex-PM Yair Lapid has called Ben Gvir an extremist and urged Netanyahu to prevent his visit to the Temple Mount, warning that “it is a deliberate provocation that will put lives in danger and cost lives.”
CONTENTIOUS NATURE OF THE TEMPLE MOUNT
In 2000, then-PM Ariel Sharon’s visit to the site sparked violent protests across the Palestinian territories, leading to a five-year-long uprising, also known as the Second Intifada. The UN estimates that over 4,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis were killed in the conflict.
The Temple Mount, also known as the Al-Haram Al-Sharif, hosts the holy sites of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism and Al-Aqsa is Islam’s third most sacred site. Clashes in the area, especially during Ramadan, are a regular affair.
Currently, the custodianship of Al-Aqsa and the surrounding holy sites are under Jordan, and Jews are not permitted to pray in the Temple Mount; rather they are only allowed to visit the complex on select days during specified times.