Ben-Gvir is the first minister of the Israeli cabinet to storm the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in the last five years. In recent years, this radical figure has repeatedly stormed the holy site by inciting the settlers and taking them with him, and he had always promised that he would continue his desecration after he takes a post in any new government.
Ben-Gvir is one of the most extreme politicians in Tel Aviv, and he is the top enemy of the Palestinians, and had an active presence in the controversial march of flags. He even appeared among security forces with a gun during the clashes in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) in October 2021, telling the police to shoot at Palestinians throwing stones at the scene and shouting at the Palestinians to “remember that we are your landlord”, actions that even fellow politicians oppose and consider provocative.
Calling for expulsion of the Palestinians from their lands, Ben-Gvir is resorting to any policy to realize this dream. To this end, he said that he wants to form a force of 200,000 people from the extremist settlers to eliminate the Palestinian militant groups, an action that, if implemented, will lead to the escalation of tensions in the West Bank. Due to the sensitivity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Israeli army officials usually avoid to storm the holy site, but Ben-Gvir showed with this action that he was not afraid of stirring tensions and did not heed the warnings of Palestinian groups. In 2000, PM Ariel Sharon’s storming of the Al-Aqsa triggered the second intifada. This Ben-Gvir adventure can spark a new one, something Israeli officials have repeatedly cautioned against in recent months.
Ben-Gvir action is so dangerous that even the American and Israeli authorities have opposed it. The American ambassador in Tel Aviv criticized the tension-generating move and announced that Washington will not accept any violation of the status quo in Al-Quds.
The former Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in response to the storming that “this happens when a weak prime minister puts the most irresponsible man in charge of the most explosive place in the Middle East.” Earlier, former leaders had expressed concern about the power gain of the far-right politicians in the cabinet and pledged to counter the dangerous plans of the cabinet hardliners.
Pushing to Judaize Al-Quds
The Ben-Gvir violation of sanctity of the holy mosque is a sequel to an Al-Quds Judaization project. The Israelis, including Ben-Gvir, demand destruction of Al-Quds and rebuilding Solomon’s Temple, but their efforts have so far gone nowhere.
In the past years, the Israeli regime has built a tunnel under Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to weaken its historical foundations and pillars over time and make its destruction and collapse appear natural. Also, in recent decades, the number of Jews living in Eastern Al-Quds has increased to fulfill the dream of David Ben-Gurion, the first Israeli PM, to Judaize this part of the occupied Palestine. The attempt to build more settlements in the West Bank, of which Ben-Gvir is the biggest supporter, is advanced with the aim of Judaizing Al-Quds, and this conspiracy will continue even more in Netanyahu’s extreme cabinet, in which he has a major post.
Palestinian warnings
Shortly after the storming, various Palestinian groups reacted. Hamas Movement said: “The presence of Ben-Gvir in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a criminal act that shows the terror the leaders of the occupation regime are living in.”
Also, Tariq Salmi, the spokesman of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, said that the storming by the “fascist Zionist minister is an aggression against the Palestinian nation and all Arabs and Muslims, and the resistant Palestinian nation will neither surrender nor compromise in order to protect its holy places.”
The Palestinian resistance groups announced that the occupiers will not succeed in changing the reality on the ground and that Al-Quds remains “Arab and Islamic and the center of struggle against the occupation.”
“Ben-Gvir’s action is a crime and the occupiers are trying to gain control over Al-Aqsa Mosque,” said Al-Quds Grand Mufti Sheikh Ekrima Sa’id Sabri in response to the Israeli minister’s aggressive move.
For its part, Palestinian Authority warned that the repeated Israeli threats to change the historical status quo of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as the increase of settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian lands and the daily killings, the latest of which was the killing of two young men in the village of Kafr Dan, have dangerous consequences for all.
The Palestinians have always warned against the Israeli adventure in Al-Aqsa Mosque and declared this holy place their red line. Hamas and other groups have said that any desecration of the first qibla of Muslims is “playing with fire”, which will bring a bad end for the occupiers. A small consequence for the Israelis took place in May 2021 in the Hamas-launched Operation Sword of Al-Quds in which the movement fired into occupied territories over 4,000 missiles in 11 days.
Muslim world reactions
Some Arab countries in the region also warned against Israeli tensions in Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt stressed that this country rejects any kind of unilateral action contrary to the legal and historical situation of Al-Quds, adding: “We regret the actions of a new Israeli official along with a number of extremist elements in desecrating Al-Aqsa Mosque and warn about the consequences of this action.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Jordan condemned Ben-Gvir’s move and called it a “provocation of the status quo and a desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque.” It continued that this action will lead to the escalation of tensions and asked the international community to prevent further such actions.
Also, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced that the Israeli Minister of National Security’s storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque with the support of the settlers is a clear violation of the international law regarding holy places in the occupied Al-Quds and any violation of the religious and historical conditions of Al-Aqsa Mosque is not only a violation of the Palestinian rights but those of millions of Muslims around the world.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation in a statement described the move a “violation of the feelings of all Muslims and a clear violation of international resolutions regarding Al-Quds.”
These Israeli violations are coming while compromising rulers in the Persian Gulf Arab monarchies have seen Netanyahu’s return to power an advantage and invited him to the UAE. They are seeking to expand their ties with Tel Aviv under Netanyahu in show of subservience to the Israeli regime. However, despite compromising agenda and silence by some Arab rulers to the Israeli crimes, the Muslim world does not tolerate these violations and a strong response is inevitable if these provocative actions continue. As the first qibla of Muslims, Al-Aqsa Mosque is of great significance to the regional nations and Israelis would unleash destruction to themselves by these provocations.
Presently, West Bank is a powder keg ready to go off with
continuation of Israeli provocative actions. Palestinian groups have
promised they are ready for all scenarios.
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