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JERUSALEM: Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led hundreds of Jews into Al Aqsa mosque compound on Thursday, breaching the site’s decades-old status quo.
The visit coincided with Tisha B’Av, a Jewish fasting day commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples.
A footage showed Ben Gvir and hundreds of fellow worshippers at the Al Aqsa compound, including Jewish settlers who lined up from the early morning hours to enter the site, where many performed prayers.
Access to the site is governed by a decades-old “status quo” arrangement between Israel and Jordan, whose religious foundation administers the place. Under that arrangement, Jews may visit but are not permitted to pray there, while Muslim worship is meant to continue uninterrupted.
