United States (US), UK, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have condemned the visit of the Israeli National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, to the al-Aqsa mosque compound.
“Jordan condemns in the strongest terms the assault on the Al Aqsa Mosque and the violation of its sanctity,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said in a statement, according to Israeli national radio.
The international community considers Jordan as the custodian of the compound known by Jews as Temple Mount and by Muslims as Noble Sanctuary or Al Aqsa, for housing the mosque of the same name, however, Israel does not recognize that status of the neighboring Jordan, although it does consider that it plays a “special role” in the holy places as both nations signed in the 1994 peace treaty.
According to the status quo of the compound, which Israel maintains until now, only Muslims can pray in the Al Aqsa compound and Jews can visit its exterior at specific times and days, although the Jewish religion considers the site its main holy place.
In his visit on January 3, considered a provocation by the Palestinians, the international community and a large part of the Israeli population, the new far-right minister Ben Gvir did not enter the mosque, but instead walked around the premises for 15 minutes, around 7 in the morning, something he had done on other occasions, although the point of his action this Tuesday is that he did it as a minister.
