Israel extreme-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visits Al-Aqsa mosque compound amid fears of violence

Israel's extreme-right firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir visited Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound Tuesday for the first time since becoming a minister, his spokesman said, enraging Palestinians who see the move as a provocation.

According to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived at the site in a surprise visit accompanied by security personnel.

The newspaper quoted Ben-Gvir as saying that the country's new government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would "not succumb to Hamas threats."

"Temple Mount is the most important site for the people of Israel, and we maintain our freedom of movement there," he added.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Late on Monday, Ben-Gvir postponed the visit to Al-Aqsa which had been planned for this week after a phone call with Netanyahu, who just retook the government reins after an election in early November.

During the phone call, Ben-Gvir reportedly argued that the government should not give in to threats from Hamas against such a visit, voicing his intention to go to the mosque in the coming weeks.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN had earlier reported that Ben-Gvir's office notified police of his plans to visit the flashpoint site on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Palestinian group Hamas, for its part, said it would hold Israel responsible for any consequences of Ben-Gvir's planned visit.

Ben-Gvir holds far-right views on the Palestinians and has called for their displacement. He has repeatedly joined Israeli settlers in storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

The far-right politician also caused a wave of escalation in the occupied city after setting up an office in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Last November, Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned in a leaked audio clip that "the whole world is worried" about Ben-Gvir's extremist views.

Lying within Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, the compound is administered by the Waqf Islamic affairs council, with Israeli forces operating there and controlling access.

Ben-Gvir has lobbied to overhaul the site's management to allow Jewish prayer there, a move opposed by mainstream rabbinical authorities.

While Ben-Gvir has visited the compound numerous times since entering parliament in April 2021, his presence as a top minister carries far greater weight.

A controversial visit in 2000 by then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon was one of the primary triggers for the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which lasted until 2005.

'SERIOUS THREAT'

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned Ben-Gvir's visit as an "unprecedented provocation and a serious threat to the arena of conflict".

Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, last week warned such a step would be "a big red line and it will lead to an explosion".

Following Ben-Gvir's visit, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem deemed it a "crime" and vowed the site "will remain Palestinian, Arab, Islamic".

Hamas rules the Gaza Strip and in May 2021 an 11-day war broke out in the territory between Palestinian armed groups and Israel, after violence at Al-Aqsa mosque.

Hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israeli police officers were wounded in the preceding clashes across east Jerusalem, initially sparked by restrictions on Palestinians gathering and possible evictions of residents.

During this period Ben-Gvir rallied his supporters at Israeli settler homes in east Jerusalem, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Six-Day War.

For years seen as a fringe figure, the Jewish Power leader entered mainstream politics with the backing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ben-Gvir has advocated for Arab-Israelis deemed disloyal to the state to be expelled and for the annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Until a few years ago he had a portrait in his living room of Baruch Goldstein, who massacred 29 Palestinian worshippers at a Hebron mosque in 1994.

He launched his ministerial career on December 29, as part of Israel's most right-wing government in history led by Netanyahu.