pretending to ignore that such a displacement in the third holy place of Islam could trigger violence, he had announced his intention to go there as minister.
MO12345lemonde with AFP and Reuters
Ignoring the warnings on the fact that his trip could cause violence, the new Minister of Israeli internal security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, went to the Esplanade des Mosques on Tuesday, January 3 in Jerusalem.
The far -right manager condemned on multiple times by Israeli justice for racist acts, wandered over the esplanade, where security had been reinforced.
The head of the Israeli opposition and former Prime Minister, Yaïr Lapid, had warned that such a trip could trigger violence. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described it as “unprecedented provocation and dangerous conflict climbing”.
threatens on the historical status quo
Third holy place of Islam and the most sacred site of Judaism under the name of “Mont du Temple”, the esplanade is located in the old town of Jerusalem, in the Palestinian sector occupied and annexed by Israel. Under a historical status quo, non-Muslims can go there at specific hours but cannot pray to it. Now, in recent years, an increasing number of Jews, often nationalist, pray to surreptitiously, a gesture denounced as a “provocation” by the Palestinians.
Itamar Ben Gvir, who went there several times when he was a deputy, had announced his intention to go there as a minister. “Our government will not give in to the threats of Hamas,” he said. “The Mount of the Temple is the most important place for the people of Israel, we maintain freedom of movement for Muslims and Christians, but the Jews will also rise on the Mount of the Temple and those who threaten must be treated with a Iron grip, “added Mr. Ben Gvir.
For its part, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, described the minister’s intention to go to the “prelude to climbing in the region”. “Our Palestinian people will continue to defend their holy places and the Al-Aqsa mosque,” a spokesperson for Hamas, Hazem Qassem, promised the visit of “crime” on Tuesday.
In 2000, the visit to the esplanade of Ariel Sharon, then at the head of the Israeli right opposition, had been perceived as a provocation by the Palestinians. The next day, bloody clashes had opposed Israeli Palestinians and police, marking the start of the second intifada, between 2000 and 2005. In May 2021, violence in East Jerusalem, especially on the esplanade, had been the prelude to a war 11 days between Hamas and Israel.
Jewish supremacist
Training lawyer living in one of the most radical colony of occupied West Bank, Itamar Ben Gvir became minister in December 2022 in the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the most right of the country’s history. He defends the annexation by Israel of the West Bank, where 2.9 million Palestinians and 475,000 Israelis live in colonies deemed illegal by international law.
He also advocates the transfer of part of the Arab population of Israel, deemed unfair, to neighboring countries, and often goes where tensions are the strongest, putting, according to its detractors, fire powders.