UN Security Council slated to meet on widely decried Temple Mount visit by Ben Gvir - The Times of Israel

The United Nations Security Council volition convene an exigency league to sermon firebrand National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s sojourn to Jerusalem’s flashpoint Temple Mount, which drew a flood of planetary condemnations, a root said Tuesday.

A day has not been acceptable for the Security Council gathering — which was formally requested by the United Arab Emirates and China connected behalf of the Palestinian and Jordanian UN missions — but it could instrumentality spot arsenic aboriginal arsenic Thursday, a diplomat connected the apical sheet told The Times of Israel.

Ben Gvir, person of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, toured the compound Tuesday morning, decrying the alleged “racism” against Jews astatine the tract and scorning warnings of a important backlash. The sojourn stoked concerns successful the Muslim satellite that Israel’s authorities would determination to alteration the presumption quo prohibiting Jewish supplication astatine the shrine — considered the holiest tract successful Judaism and 3rd holiest to Muslims, who notation to it arsenic the Al Aqsa Mosque oregon the Noble Sanctuary — contempt repeated vows that the regulations volition stay successful place.

Ben Gvir has agelong been an advocator for formally altering the Temple Mount presumption quo, successful which Muslims are allowed to commune and participate with fewer restrictions, portion Jews tin sojourn lone during constricted clip slots via a azygous gross and locomotion connected a predetermined route, intimately accompanied by police.

Palestinians and astir of the planetary assemblage vehemently cull immoderate changes to the existent situation, though astir Palestinians besides entity to immoderate Israeli Jewish beingness astatine the site, including of constabulary officers tasked with preserving security.

The Tuesday sojourn was held connected the 10th of Tevet, a Jewish accelerated time mourning the events that led to the demolition of the Temple that erstwhile stood there.

Many Palestinians cull the conception that the tract is beatified to Jews, having accused Israel and Zionists for astir a period of plotting to destruct the mosque and regenerate it with a Jewish temple — a determination that is not supported by mainstream Israeli society.

The Security Council gathering connected the sojourn is improbable to effect successful immoderate factual enactment oregon adjacent a ceremonial condemnation, but volition inactive service to item the significant planetary disapproval of the sojourn by Ben Gvir.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bureau has argued that Ben Gvir did not breach the presumption quo with the visit.

Israel remains committed to “strictly maintaining the presumption quo” astatine the site, the premier said successful a statement. “The assertion that a alteration has been made successful the presumption quo is without foundation.”

Ben Gvir acknowledged though during a Tuesday nighttime Channel 12 interrogation that Jews person occasionally been softly allowed to commune astatine the tract astatine immoderate times during the past respective years arsenic constabulary look connected without acting.

In contacts with allies abroad, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry person stressed that different ministers person visited the tract successful the past, including a erstwhile nationalist information curate from the Likud party.

But nary of them had a estimation similar that of Ben Gvir, who draws inspiration from the precocious racist rabbi Meir Kahane and has been convicted successful the past for incitement and supporting a Jewish panic group. He has besides agelong called for changing the presumption quo astatine the tract to let Jewish supplication there, though helium balked erstwhile asked connected Tuesday nighttime whether helium inactive stands by that presumption — apt owed to directives from Netanyahu, who fears planetary backlash arsenic helium seeks to physique connected normalization deals with Arab countries secured during his past word successful office.

As nationalist information minister, Ben Gvir has work implicit police, who person been charged by Israel’s courts with mounting and enforcing argumentation connected the Temple Mount.

In a video clip taken during his Tuesday greeting visit, Ben Gvir decried what helium called “racist discrimination” against Jewish worshipers forbidden from praying atop the site. With the Dome of the Rock successful the inheritance and waving his fingers astatine the camera, helium said the visits would continue.

“The Israeli authorities won’t surrender to a murderous organization, to a vile violent organization,” said Ben Gvir successful effect to threats from Hamas and different panic groups, which had warned of repercussions if the circuit went ahead.

Among the countries condemning the sojourn were the US, the UK and France on with overmuch of the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

Asked astir the visit, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said “the United States stands firmly… for the preservation of the presumption quo with respect to beatified sites successful Jerusalem.”

“Any unilateral enactment that jeopardizes the presumption quo is unacceptable,” she added.

US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides offered similar, albeit unprompted, remarks earlier Tuesday; US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the US was “deeply concerned” by Ben Gvir’s move, which has “the imaginable to exacerbate tensions and to provoke violence.”

A elder authoritative successful US President Joe Biden’s medication told the Ynet quality tract that Ben Gvir was “trying to origin chaos.” The White House was informed astir the travel up of time, and told the travel would beryllium abbreviated and not interruption the presumption quo but Washington inactive protested it, according to the site.

Ben Gvir has visited the Temple Mount galore times successful the past, but the medication authoritative noted that his ministerial presumption present made the determination transportation much weight.

“Why spell up to the Temple Mount? Just to get get much views connected Tiktok?” the authoritative charged.

Israel has besides scrambled to calm different allies, who have likewise responded by informing Jerusalem implicit the imaginable blowback passim the portion from specified visits, adjacent if they are abbreviated and bash not interruption the presumption quo, according to Channel 12 news.

Israel successful crook has responded that if the Palestinians take to instigate violence, it volition clasp Hamas oregon anyone other progressive responsible.

Ahead of the visit, Hamas had warned Israel it would service arsenic “a detonator.”

Though Ben Gvir did inactive sojourn the site, the information that helium initially appeared to backmost distant from the plans and did not initially publicize the circuit was being viewed by Hamas arsenic impervious that its threats had worked, officials from the radical told Arabic media.

Palestinians see the compound, which holds the al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock shrine, to beryllium a nationalist awesome and presumption specified visits arsenic provocative and arsenic a imaginable precursor to Israel changing the world astatine the site, contempt Jews being allowed to sojourn successful accordance with the presumption quo. Many ultra-Orthodox rabbis forbid Jews from praying connected the site, but determination has been a increasing question successful caller years of Jews who enactment worship there.

The sojourn fueled fears of unrest arsenic Palestinian panic groups threatened to enactment successful response. On Tuesday night, the Israeli subject said Gaza fighters tried to motorboat a rocket into confederate Israel but the projectile fell abbreviated and landed wrong the Hamas-controlled territory.

The Temple Mount has been the country of predominant clashes betwixt Palestinian protesters and Israeli information forces, astir precocious successful April past year.

Tensions astatine the disputed compound person fueled past rounds of violence. A sojourn by then-opposition person Ariel Sharon successful September 2000 was followed by important Palestinian riots and clashes that became the 2nd Palestinian uprising. Clashes betwixt Israeli information forces and Palestinian rioters seeking to forestall Jews from entering the tract fueled an 11-day warfare with Hamas successful 2021.

Netanyahu returned to bureau past week for his sixth word arsenic premier minister, starring the astir religious, right-wing authorities successful the country’s history. Its goals see expanding West Bank settlements and legalizing outposts passim the disputed territory.

Israel captured the Temple Mount and Jerusalem’s Old City from Jordan successful the 1967 Six Day War, astir 2 decades aft Amman conquered it during the War of Independence successful 1948. However, Israel allowed the Jordanian Waqf to proceed to support spiritual authorization atop the mount.

Israel considers Jerusalem its undivided capital, having annexed East Jerusalem successful a determination not recognized by astir of the planetary community, portion the Palestinians question East Jerusalem, including the Old City, arsenic the superior of a imaginable aboriginal state. The competing claims to Jerusalem prevarication astatine the bosom of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.