UGC shows Israeli far-right minister visits contested Jerusalem holy site

Record ID: 1705043

  • Title: UGC shows Israeli far-right minister visits contested Jerusalem holy site
  • Date: 3rd January 2023
  • Summary: LE BOURGET, FRANCE (JUNE 18, 2019) (REUTERS) (FROM SECOND LEFT) APOLLO 7 ASTRONAUT, WALTER CUNNINGHAM, WITH APOLLO 15 ASTRONAUT, AL WORDEN AND APOLLO 16 ASTRONAUT AND YOUNGEST PERSON TO WALK ON THE MOON, CHARLES DUKE AUDIENCE APPLAUDING AS FORMER ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE ON STAGE CUNNIGHAM, WORDEN AND DUKE SEATED ON STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (English) APOLLO 7 ASTRONAUT, WALTER CUNNIGHAM
  • Embargoed: 17th January 2023 07:45
  • Keywords: Al-Aqsa mosque Israel Jerusalem Palestinians UGC far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir
  • Location: JERUSALEM
  • City: JERUSALEM
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East
  • Reuters ID: LVA001002803012023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Israel's far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the compound that houses the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on Tuesday (January 3), a move condemned by Palestinians as provocative and despite warnings it could lead to violence.
    Video obtained by Reuters showed Ben-Gvir touring the site under heavy security.
    The compound is Islam's third holiest site after Mecca and Medina and Judaism's most sacred, a vestige of two ancient temples of the faith.
    Israel's opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid had warned that such a visit by Ben-Gvir would spark violence.
    Only Muslim worship is allowed at the site, and there was no indication that Ben-Gvir had prayed during his visit.
    The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemns the storming of Al-Aqsa mosque by the extremist minister Ben-Gvir and views it as unprecedented provocation and a dangerous escalation of the conflict."
    Ben-Gvir was sworn in last week as part of a new government led by Benjamin Netanyahu that includes far-right and religious parties.
    (Production: Ammar Awad, Lee Marzel)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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