Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir (Wikipedia)

By  Gary   Raynaldo    –   DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED  NATIONS  –   NEW  YORK –  A  controversial visit by Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, to a sensitive holy site in Jerusalem,  has sparked international condemnation. The United Nations held an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss Ben-Gvir’s surprise visit to the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa compound  that is holy to both Jews and Muslims.  On Tuesday, just days after Israel’s new ultranationalist government took office, Ben-Gvir toured the hilltop compound that is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.  Many in the international community  are of the opinion that Ben-Gvir’s visit was an “unnecessary”  and “dangerous provocation”.  This marked the first time since 2017 that an Israeli Minister has visited the site, known by Jews as Temple Mount and by Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, and which is administered by Jordan.  The Al-Asqa Mosque has seen previous clashes between Israelis and Palestinians.

The United Nations remains ready to support efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East exacerbated this week by the visit of Israel’s new National Security Minister to a disputed holy site in Jerusalem, the Security Council heard during an emergency session on Thursday. 

United States Criticizes Israel Over Temple Mount Visit During UN Meeting 

The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa Mosque) in the Old City of Jerusalem

US Ambassador to the UN Robert A. Wood told the UN Security Council during Thursday’s emergency session the Biden administration is concerned over the controversial visit’s impact on relations between Israel and the Palestinians. 

“Let me start by saying that the United States remains committed to a two-state solution in which Israel lives in peace and security alongside a Palestinian state. And we are concerned by any unilateral acts that exacerbate tensions or undermine the viability of a two-state solution. As underscored by both President Biden and Secretary Blinken, the United States firmly supports the preservation of the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites in Jerusalem, especially on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. We also deeply appreciate the special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as custodian of Jerusalem’s holy sites. Secretary Blinken has said very clearly that it’s absolutely critical for all sides to exercise restraint, refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric, at the Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount and other holy sites in Jerusalem, both in word and in practice. In this spirit, we oppose any and all unilateral actions that depart from the historic status quo, which are unacceptable.”

-US Ambassador to the UN Robert A. Wood

Ambassadors were briefed by Khalid Khiari, a UN Assistant Secretary-General, who expressed concern over the developments and the broader ongoing tensions and violence in the occupied West Bank. “While the visit was not accompanied or followed by violence, it is seen as particularly inflammatory given Mr. Ben-Gvir’s past advocacy for changes to the status quo,” said Mr. Khiari. 

“As we have seen numerous times in the past, the situation at Jerusalem’s Holy Sites is deeply fragile, and any incident or tension there can spill over and cause violence throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in Israel, and elsewhere in the region,” he added. 

Palestinian representative Riyad Mansour told the UN Security Council that  the Israeli Minister did not go to the holy site just to visit.    Rather, Ben-Gvir “is pursuing the same extremist agenda he has pursued all his life – ending the historic status quo,” he said, adding “that is his objective regardless of the consequences. The same agenda he was elected on and joined the Israeli government to advance.”  He added that Israel has no legal right over the holy site. 

“Israel has no claim and no right to sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and therefore no rightful claim over Al-Haram Al-Sharif.”

-Palestinian Representative Riyad Mansour 

New Israeli Government Headed by Netanyahu Is  Coalition Of The Most Extreme Right Wing Parties in History of the State

Ben-Gvir, an extremist politician with  a long record of what some see as racist, anti-Arab rhetoric, maintains his visit did not violate the status quo.   The new Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu and sworn in on Dec. 29, 2022, is a coalition of the most extreme right-wing and religious parties in the history of the state.  Many critics view say the new  government presents a major threat to Israeli democracy.  Ben-Gvir, the head of the Jewish Power party and now overseer of the police, was convicted in the past for supporting Jewish terrorism and for racist incitement against Israel’s Arab minority.