The United States spoke out Tuesday against “any unilateral action that undermines the historic prestige quo” in the Middle East center after a member of Israel’s new ultra-nationalist cabinet saw a delicate saint in Jerusalem holy to Muslims and Jews.
Such measures “are unacceptable,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
Israel’s new far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has already been convicted of inciting racism and supporting a terrorist group, visited the compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Al-Aqsa. He was surrounded by guards.
The holy site is administered by the country of Jordan and an Islamic endowment called Waqf. Muslims are allowed to pray there, but Jews and Christians are not. Ben-Gvir has long denounced this prestige quo as discriminatory and called for more for Jews.
Palestinians see the site as a national symbol, and the assault on the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli security forces is the main catalyst for 11 days of violence in 2021.
Ben-Gvir’s resolution this week came amid growing fears about Israel’s new government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is back in charge, but he has achieved it by forming a coalition with ultraconservative and ultra-nationalist parties, ushering in the ultimate right closet in Israel’s history.
Tension has been rising in the Israeli-occupied West Bank for months, with 2022 being the deadliest year for Palestinians in the territory in just about two decades, according to the United Nations.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh called Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Jerusalem holy site “a violation of all foreign norms, values, agreements and laws, and of Israel’s promises to the US president,” BBC News reported.
The Palestinian militant organization Hamas, which considers itself a terrorist organization across Israel and the United States, said the scale was a “crime” and vowed that the site would remain “Palestinian, Arab, Islamic,” according to AFP news agency.
“In the past, the president has been under pressure for wanting to maintain the historic prestige quo on the Haram al Sharif Temple Mount, as has the secretary. We have done this at various events with our Israeli partners; we’ve done it several times with our Jordanian partners,” Price told reporters Tuesday at the State Department. “We have taken note of the fact that the platform of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government calls for the preservation of the historical prestige quo regarding holy sites. We hope he will stick to this commitment. “
U. S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nestes said he had been “very transparent in conversations with the Israeli government about the factor of preserving the prestige quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites,” The Associated Press reported. “Actions that prevent this are unacceptable. “
The UAE and China called for a UN Security Council assembly after Ben-Gvir’s visit, and a spokesman for Germany’s Foreign Ministry said he hoped “the new Israeli government will be dedicated to continuing the tried and tested practice around the holy sites in Jerusalem and ending more planned provocations. “