Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sparked anger on Thursday with another visit towards Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site, threatening to disrupt ongoing talks on a ceasefire in the devastating war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Ben-Gvir said he had gone to the contested Jerusalem hill where the Al-Aqsa mosque is located to pray for the return of Israeli hostages from Gaza, “but without a reckless deal, without capitulating.”
Standing outside the golden-domed mosque, Ben-Gvir said he was “praying and working hard” to ensure that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not bow to international pressure, including from Israel’s most important ally, the United States, to agree to a cease-fire in the war that officials in Hamas-run Gaza say has killed more than 38,600 Palestinians.
Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa site, called the Temple Mount by Jews, last May – an act of protest as several nations unilaterally voted against the Supreme Court’s decision not to allow the Israeli occupation. recognized a State of PalestineThe US government called the visit “unacceptable” and warned against “any unilateral action that would undermine the historic status quo.”
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The status quo is provided for in an agreement that sees the holy site administered by Jordan and an Islamic trust called the Waqf. Under the long-standing agreement, Muslims are allowed to pray at the site, but Jews and Christians are not. Ben-Gvir has long denounced the arrangement as discriminatory and called for greater Jewish access.
Before joining Netanyahu’s cabinet, the far-right nationalist had been convicted eight times on criminal charges, including racism and supporting a terrorist organization. As a teenager, he held views considered so extreme that he was barred from performing his mandatory military service.
As a key member of Netanyahu’s fragile coalition government, Ben-Gvir has the power, and has threatened to use it, to deprive Netanyahu of his current parliamentary majority, potentially leading to early national elections that polls show the prime minister has little chance of winning.
His second provocative visit to Al-Aqsa comes as Israeli strikes in central and northern Gaza reportedly killed at least 13 more people amid fierce fighting across the decimated Palestinian territory.
The Israeli military announced that it had killed two senior members of the Islamic Jihad group, an ally of Hamas, in airstrikes. One of them is believed to have taken part in the October 7 terrorist attacks against Israel, orchestrated by Hamas, which left 1,200 dead and 240 hostages taken. It was this attack that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
A report released Wednesday by the American organization Human Rights Watch accuses Hamas and its allies of committing numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity in their terrorist attacks. The report states that the attack was deliberately planned to kill civilians and take hostages.
The organization provides a detailed list of alleged war crimes committed by Hamas, including the intentional killing and abduction of civilians, the use of human shields, and sexual and gender-based violence, including forced nudity and the posting of sexualized images on social media. However, the organization said it was unable to collect verifiable evidence of rape, stressing that this did not mean it did not occur.
HRW told CBS News that because it did not have access, it was unable to produce a full report on Israel’s conduct in Gaza. It added that evidence had been found that Israel had committed war crimes, including withholding humanitarian aid, using starvation as a weapon of war, targeting aid workers and carrying out unlawful airstrikes.
The report comes as Mr Netanyahu faces intense pressure at home to reach a deal on the repatriation of the remaining Gaza hostages, about 80 of whom are believed to still be alive. He was booed in the Israeli parliament on Thursday by opposition politicians for his failure to reach an agreement.
Netanyahu has consistently blamed Hamas for the impasse, accusing the group last week of “clinging to demands that endanger Israel’s security.”
The Israeli president is expected to travel to Washington next week, where he will address the US Congress. His critics say it would be a waste of time if he fails to announce a deal to secure the release of Israelis held in Gaza for nearly 300 days.
Deborah Patta
