Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir prays again on the Temple Mount
Israel's far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir causes international criticism with public prayer on the Temple Mount
Israel's far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir caused trouble once again with a visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In a video recorded on site and published on the platform X, he was seen praying and working hard for Minister-President Benjamin Netanyahu to have the strength not to yield in the Gaza War, to increase military pressure, and to win. He had come to the Temple Mount to pray for the hostages and their return "without a reckless deal, without capitulation," the recording continued.
Ben-Gvir has threatened several times to leave the coalition if Netanyahu agrees to a hostage release agreement with Hamas, under which the war would also end. Netanyahu is politically dependent on his ultra-religious and far-right coalition partners, who reject compromises in the negotiations. Critics accuse the government head of sabotaging the indirect talks with the Hamas Islamists because of this.
Recently, Netanyahu stated that Israel would extract more concessions from Hamas through increased military pressure. Hamas has already shown flexibility on some of its positions recently. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemned his visit to the holy site. Ben-Gvir had already visited the Temple Mount several times since taking office, which had always caused international criticism.
The Temple Mount (Al-Haram al-Sharif) with the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. It is also holy to Jews because two Jewish temples once stood there. The sanctities on the Temple Mount platform are administered by a Jordanian foundation, while Israel is responsible for security. According to an agreement with the Muslim authorities, Jews are allowed to visit the site but not to pray there. However, there are always violations of this rule.
- Despite the ongoing international criticism, Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed his support for Itamar Ben-Gvir's visits to the Temple Mount, as he believes that increased military pressure on Hamas in the Gaza Strip could lead to more favorable peace talks.
- The indirect peace talks between Israel and Hamas have been severely hampered due to Benjamin Netanyahu's alleged unwillingness to compromise, as his coalition partners have threatened to leave the coalition if a hostage release agreement is agreed upon with Hamas.
- Hamas has shown signs of flexibility in recent times, but the political inflexibility of Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners has led to a stalemate in the peace talks, with the potential for further conflict in the Gaza Strip.
