JERUSALEM: A far-right Israeli minister prayed with thousands of Jews at the Al Aqsa mosque compound in annexed east Jerusalem on Tuesday, defying a ban on Jewish prayer at the flashpoint site and drawing global condemnation.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has often ignored the Israeli government’s longstanding ban, vowed to “defeat Hamas” in Gaza in a video he filmed during his visit.

The visit comes at a tense time during the 10-month Israeli aggression in Gaza, with faltering efforts for a ceasefire and Israel braced for retaliation from Iran. Ben Gvir’s latest visit drew sharp condemnation from both Muslim countries as well as Western powers, including the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.

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Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the UN was “against any efforts to change the status quo within the holy sites”.

“This sort of behaviour is unhelpful and it is unduly provocative,” he added.

US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters. “Not only is it unacceptable, it detracts from what we think is a vital time, as we are working to get this ceasefire deal across the finish line.”

On Tuesday morning, Ben Gvir and some 2,250 other Israelis walked through the compound in groups, singing Jewish hymns, under the protection of Israeli police, an official from the Waqf, the Jordanian body that is the custodian of the site, said.

Israeli police also “imposed restrictions” on Muslim worshippers trying to enter the mosque, he said, adding that more than 700 Jews also prayed there in the afternoon.

“Minister Ben Gvir, instead of maintaining the status quo at the mosque, is supervising the Judaisation operation and trying to change the situation inside Al Aqsa Mosque,” the official said.

‘Unduly provocative’

Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned the “storming” of the mosque, calling it a “flagrant violation of international law”.

“The continual violations of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its sanctities require a clear and firm international position that condemns these violations,” ministry spokesperson Sufyan al Qudah said in a statement.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation “strongly condemned” the incident and said it was a “provocation to the feelings of Muslims all over the world”.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell posted on X that the bloc “condemns the provocations” by Ben Gvir.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2024