Israel's Ben-Gvir visits flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

AI Summary

Israeli far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a highly sensitive religious site in Jerusalem. His visit, which included support for Jewish visitors praying outside the designated arrangements, drew condemnation from Jordan and Palestinian officials.

JERUSALEM, July 23 (Reuters) - Israeli far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Thursday, praising Jewish visitors he said had prayed at the site in breach of arrangements that allow only Muslim prayer there. His visit drew condemnation from Jordan and Palestinian officials. The compound in Jerusalem's walled Old City is one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East. Known to Jews as Temple Mount, it is ​the most sacred site in Judaism and is Islam's third-holiest site.