The comments of the far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir about his plan to build a synagogue on the site of the Al-Asqa Mosque in the occupied old town of al-Quds sparked fierce criticism around the world.
The United Nations strongly condemned these comments. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: “These kinds of statements are, to say the least, highly counterproductive. They risk further inflaming a situation that is already bone dry.”
At a press conference on Monday, Dujarric stressed the sensitivity of the status of the holy sites in the city of Al-Quds. He explained that a status quo for the holy sites in the city had been agreed between the parties, “which must be respected by all.”
He urged adherence to the agreement both in actions and in public statements to avoid further escalation of tensions.
The UN joined Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia in publicly condemning Ben-Gvir.
The far-right Israeli minister had previously claimed that Jews had the right to pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and declared that he would build a synagogue on the site.
“If I could do what I wanted, a synagogue would also be built on the Temple Mount,” the extremist Israeli cleric, who has long been known for his inflammatory statements, told Israeli Army Radio on Monday morning.
OIC condemns Ben-Gvir’s statements
Meanwhile, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly condemned Ben Gvir’s statements regarding plans to build a Jewish synagogue on the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The OIC said in a statement that it considered the “statements of the extremist minister” and the “ongoing storming and desecration of the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque” by Israeli settlers and ministers as “a blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions and international law.”
“The city of al-Quds is an integral part of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 and the capital of the State of Palestine,” the intergovernmental organization stated, stressing that “all decisions and measures of the Israeli occupation regime aimed at Judaizing the occupied city of al-Quds have no legal effect.”
The OIC also stated that it held Israel “fully responsible” for all the consequences of Ben-Gvir’s comments and for Israel’s “systematic violations and attacks that constitute a provocation to the feelings of Muslims around the world.”
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site for Muslims.
According to an agreement between Israel and the Jordanian government during the regime’s occupation of Al-Quds in 1967, non-Muslims are forbidden from meditating in the holy grounds. But the ban is just an empty phrase, and in practice the circumstances are against Muslims.
Ben-Gvir’s controversial remarks about the Al-Aqsa Mosque site come at a time when the regime is keeping its bloody war machine running in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has killed at least 40,476 Palestinians in Gaza since the beginning of October. Another 93,647 Palestinians have been injured.
The barbaric campaign began after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched an unprecedented military operation in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories near Gaza.
