Israel’s new Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, visited the Esplanade of the Mosques on Tuesday.
Ben Gvir assured, upon his arrival at the Esplanade of the Mosques, that the Israeli government «will not give in to the threats of Hamas», according to the newspaper ‘The Jerusalem Post’.
«It is the most important place for the people of Israel. We will maintain freedom of movement for Muslims and Christians, but Jews will also go up, and those who make threats will be dealt with an iron fist,» the minister said.
This visit comes after his cabinet agreed to postpone the visit, following a request from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu, condemnation from the opposition and warnings from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Islamic Jihad, considered terrorist groups by Israel.
Hamas spokesman Abdelatif al-Qanu stressed that this plan «reflects the arrogance of a fascist settler government and its premeditated intentions to escalate incursions and attacks against the Al Aqsa Mosque with the intention of dividing it.» While Islamic Jihad spokesman Tareq Selmi described Ben Gvir as a «minister of Terrorism and Fascism.»
Likewise, former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called on the minister not to visit the holy site, warning that «it is a deliberate provocation» that would lead to deaths.
The situation has also generated international concern, with Jordan’s King Abdullah II going so far as to call on the new Israeli government last week not to cross Amman’s ‘red lines’ regarding Jerusalem’s holy sites.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
