RAMALLAH, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Presidency on Sunday condemned a visit by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, calling it a provocation and a violation of the site's status quo.
In a statement carried by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, the presidency warned the visit amounted to a "dangerous escalation" and an "unacceptable provocation."
It said the move was part of a broader effort to impose new realities at the compound, and cautioned that continued violations at Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem could have serious consequences for regional security and stability.
The presidency called on the international community to take a firm stance to compel Israel to halt unilateral actions in Jerusalem and elsewhere in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Earlier Sunday, Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, accompanied by a group of settlers, and performed prayers at the site under heavy police protection.
In a video released by his office, Ben-Gvir said, "Today I feel like the landlord here."
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said Israel bore full responsibility for the incident, and called on it to restrain settlers and prevent further incursions into holy sites.
It also urged the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to intervene, saying Israel must be compelled to stop what it described as violations at Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and ensure freedom of worship in line with international law.
Under a decades-old status quo arrangement, Jews are allowed to visit the hilltop compound but are not permitted to pray there. The site is administered by a Jordanian Islamic trust, known as the Jerusalem Waqf. Muslims regard the Al-Aqsa Mosque as Islam's third-holiest shrine, while Jews revere the area as the Temple Mount, believed to be the location of two ancient biblical temples.
Ben-Gvir has repeatedly called for allowing Jewish prayer at the compound, a position widely seen as challenging the status quo. Critics, including Arab governments and Palestinian officials, say such moves risk further escalating tensions at one of the region's most sensitive religious sites. ■
