Ben-Gvir Enters Al-Aqsa Compound, Seeks More Jewish Access

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, declaring in a video that he felt like the owner of the site and calling for expanded access for Jewish worshippers. The incursion, conducted under heavy police protection, reignited tensions at one of the Middle East's most sensitive religious locations.

Ben-Gvir, who has visited the compound multiple times since taking office in 2022, filmed the video inside the site and distributed it through his office. "Today, I feel like the owner here," he said. "There is still more to do, more to improve. I keep pushing the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more and more; we must keep rising higher and higher." His spokesman confirmed that Ben-Gvir prayed at the site during the visit, an action prohibited under the longstanding status quo arrangement that governs the compound.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, holds profound significance for multiple faiths. It is Islam's third-holiest site and Judaism's most sacred location, believed to be the site of ancient Jewish temples. Administered by a Jordanian religious...