PHOTO: Itamar Ben-Gvir, who resides in an illegal West Bank settlement near Hebron is a far-right Israeli Minister who has a history of making outrage-inciting comments and provoking Palestinians.
Israel’s War Cabinet decided to revoke the authority of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to limit the entry to the Temple Mount during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to prevent the escalation of tensions there, Israel’s media reported Wednesday evening.
The national security minister reacted with outrage to the reports and demanded the prime minister deny them in a post on X.
He also accused Netanyahu of deciding to “follow Benny Gantz’s conception according to which peace is bought by folding and surrendering to terrorism.”
The decision was taken amid rising concerns by security officials that Ben Gvir, either by imposing strict limits on Israeli Arabs’ access to the al-Aqsa Mosque or through inflammatory statements, could inflame tensions in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The national security minister had demanded to deny entry to all West Bank Muslims and only allow Israeli Arab Muslims above age 70 to visit the holy site during Ramadan, which begins on March 11.
Instead, he will not be part of the ongoing discussions about the matter and the War Cabinet will take all decisions regarding the issue. No sweeping restrictions will be imposed on Muslim Israeli citizens.
The security policy in East Jerusalem is traditionally carried out by the Israel Police, which is under the political authority of the National Security Ministry.
Channel 12 reported that Ministers Gantz, Eisenkot, and Defense Minister Gallant pressured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to revoke Ben Gvir’s authority on the matter to prevent “foreign and political considerations.”
The controversial decision came after Gallant on Tuesday warned that Israel was entering a dangerous phase and must exercise the utmost caution during Ramadan.
“In wartime, everyone says what they want – including people who are supposed to be responsible but aren’t,” Gallant said in a transparent jab at Ben Gvir.
In addition, police officials warned that Ben Gvir’s demands could cause a flare-up of violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank, according to an earlier Channel 12 News report.
Around 50-60 thousand Muslims are expected to pray at the mosque, according to Israeli Channel 12 All Israel
This development comes after Hamas called on Wednesday (Feb 28) for Palestinians to march to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque at the start of Ramadan, raising the stakes in ongoing negotiations for a truce in Gaza, which US President Joe Biden hopes will be in place by then.
The call by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh followed comments by Biden that an agreement could be reached between Israel and Hamas as soon as next week for a ceasefire during the Muslim fasting month expected to start this year on Mar 10.
Israel and Hamas have delegations in Qatar this week to hammer out details of a potential 40-day truce. They said that here is still a big gulf between them, and the Qatari mediators say there is no breakthrough yet.
Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem’s old city, one of the world’s holiest sites for Muslims and the most sacred for Jews, has long been a flashpoint for potential violence, particularly during religious holidays.
“This is a call on our people in Jerusalem and the West Bank to march to Al-Aqsa starting the first day of Ramadan,” said Haniyeh.
Isareli News Agencies
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