Netanyahu says committed to Al-Aqsa status quo
ANKARA (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he remains committed to preserving the status quo at East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.
Tension rose across the Palestinian territories on Tuesday after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa complex amid warnings of unrest.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is committed to strictly maintaining the status quo, without changes, on the Temple Mount [Al-Aqsa Mosque complex],” a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Netanyahu denied that Ben-Gvir’s visit to the flashpoint site constituted a change in the understandings governing activities there.
“Under the status quo, ministers have gone up to the Temple Mount in recent years, including [then-]Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan; therefore, the claim that a change has been made in the status quo is without foundation,” he said.
The status quo allows Muslims to worship at the Al-Aqsa complex and followers of other religions to visit the site.
Ben-Gvir’s visit has triggered a storm of Palestinian and international condemnations, including from the US, Jordan, Türkiye, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.
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