Israeli far-right minister leads hundreds to Al-Aqsa on mourning day

Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led hundreds of Israeli Jews into Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Thursday. The visit breached the site's decades-old status quo and coincided with Tisha B'Av, a Jewish fasting day marking the destruction of the First and Second Temples.

Why did Ben Gvir visit Al-Aqsa on Tisha B'Av?

Ben Gvir timed the visit to Tisha B'Av, a day of Jewish mourning observed from Wednesday night through Thursday this year. AFP footage showed him and hundreds of worshippers, including settlers who had queued since early morning, entering the compound to pray. He has used the occasion in the past to call for tougher action against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

What did Ben Gvir say during the visit?

In a video posted to his Telegram channel, Ben Gvir said Jews were praying at the site and felt they were its rightful owners. He said the State of Israel was recognized as the sovereign authority there and that there was more to do. Since taking office, he has stormed the site more than a dozen times.

What is the status quo governing Al-Aqsa?

The compound sits in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and is revered as Islam's third holiest site and Judaism's most sacred location, where the two ancient temples once stood. Access is governed by a decades-old status quo arrangement between Israel and Jordan, whose religious foundation administers the site. Under that arrangement, Jews may visit but are not permitted to pray, while Muslim worship is meant to continue uninterrupted.

In recent years, Ben Gvir and other Jewish visitors have repeatedly tested and breached those limits, including through open prayer at the compound. The pattern has drawn condemnation from Jordan, the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority and Muslim religious bodies.

How did Jordan and Turkey respond to the visit?

Jordan's foreign ministry spokesperson, Fouad Al-Majali, said Jordan firmly rejected and strongly condemned the continued incursions by Israeli officials, Knesset members and extremist settlers into Al-Aqsa mosque, including the role of Israeli police in facilitating the actions. He described the visits as unacceptable attempts to impose new realities at the site through efforts to alter its existing arrangements.

Turkey's foreign ministry also condemned the visit, saying preventing the Netanyahu government's provocative actions and attempts to create facts on the ground is a shared international responsibility. It said such actions violate the historical and legal status of holy sites in Jerusalem, particularly Al-Aqsa mosque, which it said belongs exclusively to Muslims. The Israeli government has publicly maintained its policy on the status quo remains unchanged, even as incidents like Thursday's continue to inflame the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.