Ben-Gvir enters Al-Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem amid status quo dispute

Israel's national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem with settlers and security personnel, according to the supplied report. He was described as performing prayers inside the compound, in a move that has renewed concern over the long-standing arrangement governing the site. The visit took place on Monday and was carried out under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, the report said.

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The report says Ben-Gvir was accompanied by several rabbis, settlers and security personnel during the incursion. It also says he performed Talmudic prayers and rituals in the eastern section of the mosque's courtyards. In remarks attributed to him, he appeared to call for a Jewish temple to be established on the site and for changes to the historical status quo.

Under the status quo arrangement in place since 1967, non-Muslim prayer is not allowed at the compound, although Jewish visitors are permitted to enter. The report says Ben-Gvir referred to a time when prayer was forbidden and said that "redemption" was now visible, adding that a temple should be brought "little by little." The Jerusalem governorate condemned the incursion, calling it a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of the mosque's existing historical and legal status. The incident matters because the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is one of the most sensitive religious sites in the region and a focal point of Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

Any perceived change to access or prayer rules can quickly trigger political and street-level reactions. The site is also central to wider disputes over sovereignty, religious rights and the future of East Jerusalem. Ben-Gvir has entered the compound several times since taking office in 2022, and the report says his latest visit fits a pattern that has drawn widespread condemnation.

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He leads the far-right Jewish Power party and is described in the report as a regular advocate of policies that would deepen Israeli control over Palestinian territories. The article also links the incursion to a broader settler movement that seeks to replace the Muslim holy site with a Jewish synagogue. The timing is also notable because the report says tens of thousands of Jews have recently taken part in Yom Kippur prayers at the Western Wall, which precede Jewish holidays in September.

That wider religious calendar can heighten attention around Jerusalem's holy sites and increase the risk of confrontation. What remains unclear is whether there will be any immediate official response beyond the condemnation already reported, and whether the visit will prompt further diplomatic or security fallout in the coming days.

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