Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, declaring the site belongs “only to the state of Israel.” This visit follows the unilateral recognition of an independent Palestinian state by three European countries.
“We will not even allow a statement about a Palestinian state,” Ben-Gvir stated.
For Muslims, the Noble Sanctuary is home to Islam’s third holiest site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock, a seventh-century structure believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Jews refer to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as the Temple Mount, believed to be the location of the first and second ancient Jewish temples.–News Desk