Credit: The Times
Despite threats from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem on the morning of Tevet 10 – the day that marks the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem.
“The Temple Mount is the most important place for the people of Israel,” said Ben-Gvir. “We maintain the freedom of movement for Muslims and Christians, but Jews also go up to the site, and those who make threats must be dealt with with an iron fist.”
After the visit, Hamas declared that “the crime of the fascist Zionist minister Ben-Gvir in invading the Al Aqsa Mosque is a continuation of the aggression of the occupation against the holy places. Al Aqsa Mosque was and will remain Palestinian, Arab and Islamic, and no fascist person can change this fact.” The Palestinian Authority called the visit an unprecedented provocation.
However, Ben-Gvir advocates that Jews can freely visit and pray in this holy place.
With information from JNS
