Israel’s ambassador to the UN criticized the organization for calling a meeting to discuss an Israeli official’s visit to a Jerusalem holy site.
“Minister Ben-Gvir’s recent visit to the Temple Mount was not a raid on al-Aqsa or any other fabrication that the Palestinians branded his visit,” Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said during a searing speech. before the UN Security Council. Thursday. “Minister Ben-Gvir’s visit was in line with the status quo, and whoever says otherwise is only inflaming the situation.”
Erdan also proclaimed that “Jews are allowed to visit the Temple Mount. All Jews!”
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount or Haram al Sharif, a holy place for the Jewish and Muslim peoples, respectively. His videotaped visit included a significant moment in which he stared into the camera and said, “We’re not giving up. We’re not giving up. We’re not blinking,” a reference to the site’s Jewish claim – according to the Washington Post.
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An Israeli lawmaker accused Ben Gvir of “inciting the entire world” with his actions, sparking protests across the Arab world and raising concerns among Western nations that Israel might not honor longstanding agreements on access to such sites.
Israel’s new far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has visited the Al-Aqsa compound and said the holy site should be open to all religions and that Israel “will not give in to Hamas.”
(Reuters)
Ben-Gvir did not break any laws, but Jews maintain that it is forbidden to go to the Temple Mount, also known as “the place of the Holy of Holies.”
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The visit prompted the representatives of the United Arab Emirates to call an urgent session of the UN Security Council on the visit, which quickly escalated when the Israeli and Palestinian representatives clashed verbally.
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting to discuss recent events at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, at the UN headquarters in New York City. York, on January 5, 2023.
(Reuters/Mike Segar)
UN Undersecretary–General Khaled Khiari called the visit “particularly inflammatory” given Ben-Gvir’s “past advocacy of changes to the status quo.” The need to maintain the current understanding of shared ownership over the site remains key to many legislators regarding Jerusalem.
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“At this delicate moment, all efforts to reduce tensions should be encouraged, while provocations, incendiary steps, unilateral actions and threats of violence should be categorically rejected,” Khiari said.
Riyad H. Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, speaks at a UN Security Council meeting to discuss recent events at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, at the UN headquarters in New York, on January 5, 2023.
(Reuters/Mike Segar)
France’s UN representative Nicolas de Riviere, who serves as a permanent member of the Security Council, urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “ensure that the status quo of the Holy Places is respected.”
US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood similarly emphasized the understanding that “Netanyahu’s platform of government calls for the preservation of the status quo with regard to holy sites.”
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“We expect the government of Israel to honor that commitment,” Wood said.
The status quo allows only Muslims to worship at the site, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque is located. Ben Gvir’s supporters insist that the minister never set foot in the actual location of the Holy of Holies and never prayed, thus avoiding any violation.
The Palestinian representative to the world body, Riyad Mansour, called Ben-Gvir “an extremist minister from an extremist state” who was convicted of incitement and is known for his “racist views.” Mansour said Ben Gvir pledged to allow Jews to pray at the site and urged nations to “uphold international law and the historical status quo” and warned that “if you don’t, our Palestinian people will.”
Erdan called the session a “waste” that would show “nothing,” stressing that tens of thousands of Jewish travelers visit the site as long as they enter through “a specific entrance, on specific days, at limited hours, in small groups, and under strong security team.
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“When this council spends its precious time on ‘shows about nothing,’ it legitimizes the poisonous lies of the Palestinians and, as a result, empowers the terrorists to continue their murderous ways,” Erdan said.
“While the Temple Mount is sadly not yet a house of prayer for all nations, it is still the right of all Jews, no matter what title they hold, to at least visit this holy place,” he added. “Jews will continue to visit the Temple Mount, and whoever believes in tolerance and coexistence should support that.”
Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
