Ben Gvir claims Jewish people allowed to pray at Al-Aqsa

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said that Jewish people are allowed to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, contradicting a long-standing policy.

“I am in the political echelon, and the political echelon allows Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount,” he said .

Under a decades-long “status-quo” agreement, only Muslims have been permitted to pray at the holy site, with visits from non-Muslims only allowed at specific times.

His comments were refuted by Eyal Avraham, commander of the Israeli police’s holy sites unit.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said Ben Gvir’s statement was a “recipe for bloodshed” and called on Palestinians to continue defending their nation’s holy places.