On a recent Sunday, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stoked international outrage after delivering inflammatory remarks during a provocative raid on Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, one of the most sensitive and sacred sites in Islam. Standing within the walled Old City complex, Ben Gvir declared in an official video circulated by his office that he “feels like the owner” of the site, adding that he is actively pushing for expanded access for Jewish worshippers to the holy ground.
Ben Gvir’s incursion came just days after Israeli authorities reversed an extraordinary 40-day closure that barred all Palestinian worshippers from entering the compound — a closure that blocked Palestinian access during major religious milestones including the holy month of Ramadan, the Eid al-Fitr holiday, and weekly Friday congregational prayers. Following the lifting of the ban, Israeli officials have not only resumed near-daily incursions by ultranationalist Jewish groups into Al-Aqsa, but have extended the length of these visits, a shift that has further alarmed Muslim and regional leaders.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound has long been governed by the decades-established international Status Quo agreement, a fragile arrangement that explicitly recognizes the site’s exclusive Islamic character, entrusts Muslim religious authorities with full control over worship, access, and site maintenance, and permits Jewish visitation only — not prayer — to preserve the delicate religious balance. For years, however, Israel has systematically violated this agreement, allowing unapproved incursions and private prayer by ultranationalist Israelis inside the compound without the consent of Muslim governing bodies.
These repeated violations have fueled growing regional fears that Israel is working to fundamentally rewrite the long-standing rules governing the site, potentially reallocating physical space or additional worship time exclusively to Jewish visitors. While Israel’s own chief rabbinate has maintained a centuries-long ban on Jewish prayer at the site, which ultranationalist Jews revere as the location of the ancient Jewish First and Second Temples, ultranationalist factions have increasingly pushed for open Jewish worship, receiving explicit political backing from high-profile government figures including Ben Gvir himself. Ben Gvir’s spokesperson confirmed this week that the minister not only is seeking formal prayer permits for Jewish visitors, but had already conducted personal prayer during his visit to the compound.
Regional and Palestinian leaders have swiftly condemned Ben Gvir’s actions and comments. Jordan, which holds official custodianship over the Al-Aqsa site under international agreements, condemned the visit as a blatant violation of the Status Quo, calling it “a desecration of its sanctity, a condemnable escalation and an unacceptable provocation.” The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that such provocative moves threaten to further destabilize an already volatile region, raising risks of wider unrest along the Israel-Palestinian divide.