Arab rejection of Ben Gvir’s statements regarding the establishment of a synagogue in Al-Aqsa Mosque

Jerusalem – Arab countries expressed their rejection, on Monday, of the statements of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, regarding the establishment of a Jewish synagogue in Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, warning of its impact on the ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip.

This came in official statements issued by Qatar, the Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Palestine, after Ben Gvir claimed in a statement to the Israeli Army Radio that “the policy (the government) allows prayer on the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa Mosque), and there is equal law between Jews and Muslims,” adding: “I would have built a synagogue there.”

*Warnings of religious war

In Palestine, presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement, “The Palestinian people will not accept any tampering with the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is a red line that cannot be allowed to be tampered with at all.”

Abu Rudeina warned that “these rejected and condemned calls to harm the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque are attempts to drag the region into a religious war that will burn everyone,” stressing that the area of ​​the Noble Sanctuary, which is 144 dunams (one dunam equals one thousand square meters), is “the property of Muslims only.”

He called on “the international community, especially the US administration, to take immediate action to curb this extremist right-wing government and force it to abide by the legal and historical status quo in the Noble Sanctuary.”

Abu Rudeineh also stressed that “the United States bears responsibility for the war of extermination our people are being subjected to in the Gaza Strip, and the killing, arrest and destruction in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and it must force its ally, the Israeli occupation, to stop its aggression, attacks and the terrorism of its settlers.”

In turn, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned of “the dangers of Ben Gvir’s calls and incitement to build a synagogue in Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement: “We view with great concern the threats of extremist Minister Ben Gvir to establish and build a Jewish synagogue in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and we consider it a public and explicit call to demolish Al-Aqsa and build the alleged temple in its place.”

*Provocation of Muslims’ feelings

Qatar said in a statement by the Foreign Ministry that it “condemns these statements and considers them an extension of attempts to change the historical and legal status of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and a provocation of the feelings of Muslims around the world.”

Doha, which is leading mediation between the factions and Israel with Egypt and the United States, warned of “the impact of provocative statements on the ongoing efforts (in Cairo) to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.”

She stressed “the need for the international community to move urgently to deter the (Israeli) occupation, and assume its moral and legal responsibilities towards Jerusalem and its sanctities.”

The UAE said in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that it “strongly condemns and denounces these statements,” stressing “the need for Israel to respect the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and not to tamper with it.”

It reiterated its “firm position on the necessity of providing full protection for Al-Aqsa Mosque and stopping the serious and provocative violations therein.”

*High risk

Egypt also condemned, in a statement by its Foreign Ministry, “in the strongest terms the statements issued by the Israeli Minister of National Security regarding planning to establish a Jewish synagogue inside Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Egypt held “Israel legally responsible for adhering to the status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque and not harming Islamic and Christian holy sites,” demanding that it “comply with its obligations as an occupying power and stop provocative statements that aim to further escalate and increase tension in the region.”

She warned that “these irresponsible statements regarding the Islamic and Christian holy sites in the Palestinian territories increase the complexity and tension in the Palestinian territories, and hinder the efforts made to reach a calm and ceasefire in Gaza.”

These statements were also considered to “pose a great danger to the future of the final settlement of the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

In a related context, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry also condemned these statements in a statement, considering them “a violation of international law and an unacceptable incitement that requires a clear international position to condemn and confront it.”

She stressed “the Kingdom’s absolute rejection and condemnation in the strongest terms of the statements of the extremist Israeli minister, who fuels the policy of extremism and works to change the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its holy sites, by imposing new facts and practices supported by a fanatical exclusionary narrative.”

She stressed that “Al-Aqsa Mosque, with its entire area of ​​144 dunams, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims.”

Regarding the steps that the Kingdom will take, the Foreign Ministry indicated that Amman “will take all necessary measures to stop attacks on holy sites.”

This is the first time that Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, has spoken about building a synagogue inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, after he called many times in recent months to allow Jews to pray in the mosque.

Despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims to preserve the historical status quo of Al-Aqsa, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said on Monday evening that the government would fund settler incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque under the name of “guided tours.”

Palestinians say that Israel is intensifying its measures to Judaize occupied East Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erase its Arab and Islamic identity.

The Palestinians cling to East Jerusalem as the capital of their desired state, based on international legitimacy resolutions that do not recognize Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967, nor its annexation in 1981.

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