Anger as far-right Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem
With Israel already facing global criticism over famine-like conditions in the besieged Gaza Strip, the visit by Itamar Ben-Gvir to the hillside compound threatened to further set back efforts by international mediators to halt Israel's nearly two-year military offensive in the territory.
The area, which Jews call the Temple Mount, is the holiest site in Judaism and was home to the ancient biblical temples. Muslims call the site the Noble Sanctuary, and today it is home to the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.
Itamar Ben Gvir, left (Maya Alleruzzo/AP)
Visits are considered a provocation across the Muslim world and openly praying violates a longstanding status quo at the site.
Under the status quo, Jews have been allowed to tour the site but are barred from praying, with Israeli police and troops providing security.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said after Mr Ben-Gvir's visit that Israel would not change the norms governing the holy site.
Mr Ben-Gvir made the stop after Hamas released videos showing two emaciated Israeli hostages. The videos caused in uproar in Israel and raised pressure on the government to reach a deal to bring home from Gaza the remaining hostages who were captured on October 7 2023, in the attack that triggered the war.
During his visit to the hilltop compound, Mr Ben-Gvir called for Israel to annex the Gaza Strip and encourage Palestinians to leave, reviving rhetoric that has complicated negotiations to end the war.
Benjamin Netanyahu (Aaron Chown/PA)
He condemned the video that Hamas released on Saturday of 24-year-old hostage Evyatar David, showing him looking skeletal and hollow-eyed in a dimly lit Gaza tunnel.
The minister called it an attempt to pressure Israel.
Mr Ben-Gvir's previous visits to the site have been explosive and prompted threats from Palestinian militant groups. Clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian demonstrators in and around the site fuelled an 11-day war with Hamas in 2021.
His Sunday visit was swiftly condemned as an incitement by Palestinian leaders as well as Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Sufian Qudah, spokesman for the foreign ministry in neighboring Jordan, which serves as the custodian of the Al Aqsa Mosque, condemned what he called 'provocative incursions by the extremist minister' and implored Israel to prevent escalation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
10 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Israel considers full Gaza takeover as more die of hunger
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu favours a complete military takeover of Gaza for the first time in two decades, media reported, and was to meet senior security officials on Tuesday to finalise a new strategy in the 22-month war. Mediation between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas has collapsed despite intense international pressure for a ceasefire to ease hunger and appalling conditions in the besieged Palestinian enclave. Eight more people died of starvation or malnutrition in the past 24 hours, Gaza's health ministry said, while another 79 died in the latest Israeli fire. Netanyahu was to meet Defence Minister Israel Katz and military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to decide on a strategy to take to cabinet later this week, an Israeli official told Reuters. Strategic Affairs Minister Rob Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu, would also be present. Israel's Channel 12, citing an official from Netanyahu's office, said the prime minister was leaning towards taking control of the entire territory. That would reverse a 2005 decision to pull settlers and military out of Gaza while retaining control over its borders, a move right-wing parties blame for Hamas gaining power there. Palestinians ride on a truck loaded with food and humanitarian aid as it moves along the Morag corridor near Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Picture: AP Photo/Mariam Dagga It was unclear, however, whether Netanyahu was foreseeing a prolonged occupation or a short-term operation aimed at dismantling Hamas and freeing Israeli hostages. The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Channel 12 report. A Palestinian official said it may be a tactic to pressure Hamas into concessions, while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged foreign nations to take heed of the reports. "The ministry urges countries and the international community to treat these leaks with utmost seriousness and to intervene urgently to prevent their implementation, whether these leaks are meant to exert pressure, test international reactions, or are genuine and serious," it said. Strained military Israel's coalition government, the most right-wing and religiously conservative in its history, includes far-right politicians who advocate for the annexation of both Gaza and the West Bank and encourage Palestinians to leave their homeland. Nearly two years of fighting in Gaza has strained the military, which has a small standing army and has had to repeatedly mobilise reservists. It has throughout the war pushed back against the idea of Israel fully occupying Gaza and establishing military rule. In a sign of differences between some members of Israel's ruling coalition and the military, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on X challenged military head Zamir to state he would comply with government directives even if a decision was made to take all of Gaza. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. File Picture: AP Photo/Alex Brandon Foreign Minister Gideon Saar then said the military chief must give his professional opinion, while Defence Minister Katz weighed in to say the military would professionally implement whatever policy the government set. "Defeating Hamas in Gaza, while creating the conditions for the return of the hostages, are the central goals of the war in Gaza, and we must take all necessary actions to achieve them," Katz said. The war was triggered when Hamas-led militants on October 7, 2023, attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capturing 251 hostages, taking them into Gaza. Israel's military response has devastated the tiny, crowded enclave, killing more than 61,000 people - mostly civilians - according to Palestinian health authorities. Hunger Israel's campaign has forced nearly all of Gaza's over 2 million people from their homes and caused what a global hunger monitor called last week an unfolding famine. Some 188 Palestinians, including 94 children, have died from hunger since the war began, according to Gaza authorities. An Israeli security official, in a briefing to reporters, acknowledged there may be hunger in some parts of Gaza but rejected reports of famine or starvation. Palestinians carry the body of one of the people who were killed while trying to reach aid trucks entering northern Gaza Strip through the Zikim crossing with Israel, as they stand in the morgue of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Picture: AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi International anger at the suffering in Gaza has prompted several countries to recognise or announce their intention to recognise Palestine as an independent state. On Tuesday, Israeli tanks pushed into central Gaza but it was not clear if the move was part of a larger ground offensive. Palestinians living in the last quarter of territory where Israel has not yet taken military control - via ground incursions or orders for civilians to leave - said any new push would be catastrophic. "If the tanks pushed through, where would we go, into the sea? This will be like a death sentence to the entire population," said Abu Jehad, a Gaza wood merchant. The failed mediation in Doha had aimed to clinch agreements on a U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day truce, during which aid would be flown into Gaza and half of the hostages Hamas is holding would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. - Reuters
Irish Examiner
10 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Oireachtas committee calls for rules to allow Central Banks to refuse Israeli war bond sales
The Central Bank should review the process for approving the prospectus of the sale of Israeli bonds, an Oireachtas committee has found. The Joint Committee on Finance on Tuesday published its Report on the Israeli Bonds Programme and says the Central Bank here and other EU Central Banks should develop a mechanism whereby an individual Central Bank can refuse to process any new prospectus certification requests. Under the EU Prospectus Regulation, a prospectus must be drawn up, approved and published when securities are to be offered to the public or admitted to trading on a regulated market in the EU. Third Country issuers must choose one of the EU competent authorities in the EU as their Home Member State, subject to certain criteria set out in the EU Prospectus Regulation. The Central Bank last month came under mounting pressure to reject the prospectuses of Israeli bonds, which are largely being used to fund the country's war efforts in Gaza, though it has argued because Ireland's central bank is designated as the competent authority to approve prospectuses for Israeli bonds sold in the EU, it has no legal authority to do so. Third Country issuers of bonds must choose the central bank of a country within the EU as their home member state, a choice which is up to that country and not the chosen home member state. In his appearance at the committee, Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf said the bank is required to approve a prospectus where it meets the standards of completeness, consistency, and comprehensibility under the legislation. File photo: Paulo Nunes dos Santos/Bloomberg Before 2021, Britain was the EU home member state for Israel, but following its exit from the bloc, Ireland was chosen by Israel as the new home member state. The Central Bank of Ireland approved the first prospectuses for the bond issuance programme in 2021, with the currently approved prospectus due to expire on September 1, 2025. Committee Cathaoirleach Mairéad Farrell said: 'The facilitation by the Central Bank of Ireland of the Israeli Bond prospectus arose as a matter of concern for the Joint Committee in the previous Dáil, during which the committee initiated contact with the Central Bank to ascertain more detail around the process of prospectus approval. "In line with these engagements, the committee understands that the Central Bank may only refuse the approval of a prospectus where the Central Bank has legal basis to do so. 'Ireland has been to the forefront and steadfast in its position of support and solidarity with the people of Palestine, but we must ask ourselves are we doing everything we can. The issuing of bonds by the State of Israel is seen to assist in the financing of Israel's continued violations of human rights." The Joint Committee makes 15 recommendations in its report, including: The Government engage at EU level with a view to amending the EU Prospectus regulations to permit each individual European Central Bank to refuse to act as a Competent Authority; The Central Bank as the competent authority conduct an immediate internal review in advance of any renewal in September of the Israeli bond prospectus; The Central Bank should seek legal advice and make information available which clarifies that their decision in approving a prospectus is not in breach of international law. In his appearance at the committee, Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf said the bank is required to approve a prospectus where it meets the standards of completeness, consistency, and comprehensibility under the legislation. "Our legal obligations are clear and we do not need guidance to follow them," he is due to tell the Oireachtas Finance Committee on Wednesday. "The law is also clear that, by approving a prospectus, the Central Bank does not endorse the issuer and does not endorse the securities."
RTÉ News
41 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Israel must 'complete' defeat of Hamas to free hostages
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel must "complete" the defeat of Hamas to free hostages held in Gaza, a day after Israeli media reported the army could occupy the entire territory. "It is necessary to complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, to free all our hostages and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel," Mr Netanyahu said during a visit to an army training facility. Israeli media reported that Mr Netanyahu was expected to sit down in Jerusalem later with the chief of staff and the defence minister, and that he was considering ordering the total occupation of the Palestinian territory. The timing of the meeting has not been officially confirmed. "Netanyahu wants the Israeli army to conquer the entire Gaza Strip," said a report on public broadcaster Kan. Mr Netanyahu said yesterday that he would convene the cabinet later in the week to approve new instructions. "Several cabinet members who spoke with the prime minister confirmed that he has decided to extend the fight to areas where hostages might be held," Kan reported. The private daily Maariv declared: "The die is cast. We're en route for the total conquest of Gaza." However, some major media outlets such as Channel 12 have questioned whether the rumoured expansion of military operations is merely a negotiating tactic, and whether Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir would oppose such a decision. "The Chief of Staff is required to express his professional opinion clearly and unequivocally to the political leadership. I am convinced that he will do so," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X. While a reconquest plan has not been officially confirmed, it has already drawn an angry response from the Palestinian Authority and Gaza's Hamas-run government, which insisted it will not shift its position on ceasefire talks. "The ball is in the hands of... (Israel) and the Americans," senior Hamas official Husam Badran said, adding that the militant group wanted to "end the war and the famine". 'Updated strategy' Addressing a cabinet meeting with the war into its 22nd month, the Israeli leader told ministers that later in the week he would instruct the military on how "to achieve the three war objectives we have set". Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 and the Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted officials in Mr Netanyahu's office saying that the "updated strategy" would be to re-occupy all of Gaza, including areas in Gaza City where the military believes hostages are being held. However, the Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry denounced what it called a "leaked" plan and urged the international community to intervene to quash any new military occupation. Mr Netanyahu is facing mounting domestic and international pressure to bring the remaining hostages in Gaza home and allow much more aid into the starving territory. Israel - backed by the United States and Panama - is preparing to convene a UN Security Council meeting to highlight the fate of the hostages. Mr Netanyahu reiterated yesterday that Israel's three war goals remained "the defeat of the enemy, the release of our hostages and the promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel". His statement came after hundreds of retired Israeli security chiefs wrote to US President Donald Trump to urge him to convince the Israeli prime minister to end the war. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said ahead of the UN meeting that "the world must put an end to the phenomenon of kidnapping civilians". "It must be front and centre on the world stage," he added. Of the 251 hostages abducted during Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The UN session was called after Palestinian militant groups last week published three videos showing hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David appearing weak and emaciated, causing shock in Israel. Mr Netanyahu said he had asked the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide food and medical treatment to the Israeli captives. Hamas's armed wing said it was willing to allow access to the hostages in exchange for opening aid corridors into all of Gaza, where UN-mandated experts have warned famine is unfolding. Mr Netanyahu's government has faced repeated accusations by relatives of hostages and other critics that it has not done enough to rescue the captives. "Netanyahu is leading Israel and the hostages to ruin," said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group. It said: "For 22 months, the public has been sold the illusion that military pressure and intense fighting will bring the hostages back. "The truth must be said: expanding the war endangers the lives of the hostages, who are already in immediate mortal danger." Mediation efforts led by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have failed to secure a truce. Hundreds of retired Israeli security officials including former heads of intelligence agencies have urged Mr Trump to pressure their own government to end the war. "It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel," the former officials wrote in an open letter shared with the media yesterday. The war "is leading the state of Israel to lose its security and identity", said Ami Ayalon, former director of the Shin Bet security service, in a video released to accompany the letter. The letter argued the Israeli military "has long accomplished the two objectives that could be achieved by force: dismantling Hamas's military formations and governance". "The third, and most important, can only be achieved through a deal: bringing all the hostages home," it added. The October 2023 Hamas attack that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally of official figures. Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed at least 60,933 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which are deemed reliable by the UN. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli fire yesterday killed at least 19 Palestinians, including nine who were waiting to collect food aid from a site in central Gaza. 'Heart-rending and intolerable' In Gaza City, Umm Osama Imad was mourning a relative she said was killed while trying to reach an aid distribution point. "We are starving ... He went to bring flour for his family," she said, adding "the flour is stained with blood. We don't want the flour anymore. Enough." UN rights chief Volker Turk said "the images of people starving in Gaza are heart-rending and intolerable". "That we have reached this stage is an affront to our collective humanity," he added. He called on Israel to urgently allow aid into the territory, adding that denying it "may amount to a war crime". On Sunday, President Michael D Higgins called on the United Nations Security Council to do more for the people of Gaza. "I cannot really stand in a public venue and give a public speech and speak about our language when I see such incredible, incredible destruction of an entire people taking place on our television screens every evening," he said at the opening of an event at the weekend. He said it was "outrageous" that there were 6,000 trucks with enough food for three months waiting to get in to Gaza and that they are being blocked.
