RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced on Sunday the “provocative practices” by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, saying such practices fuel conflict in the region.
“Saudi Arabia condemns in the strongest terms the repeated provocative practices by Israeli occupation government officials against Al-Aqsa Mosque and emphasizes that these practices fuel the conflict in the region,” the foreign ministry said.
Ben-Gvir visited the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Sunday and said he prayed there, challenging rules covering one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East. Under a delicate decades-old “status quo” arrangement with Muslim authorities, the Al-Aqsa compound is administered by a Jordanian religious foundation and Jews can visit but may not pray there.
#بيان | تعرب وزارة الخارجية عن إدانة المملكة العربية السعودية بأشد العبارات الممارسات الاستفزازية المتكررة من قبل مسؤولي حكومة الاحتلال الإسرائيلي بحق المسجد الأقصى المبارك، مؤكدة أن تلك الممارسات تؤجج الصراع في المنطقة. pic.twitter.com/tQbMIlNbKM
— وزارة الخارجية (@KSAMOFA) August 3, 2025
