Egypt slams ‘irresponsible’ Temple Mount visit by Ben Gvir, other coalition members

Cairo condemns the visit to Temple Mount by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, fellow Otzma Yehudit minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Likud Knesset member Amit Halevi, along with nearly 2,000 Jewish pilgrims for Tisha B’Av.

“The Arab Republic of Egypt condemns the storming of the courtyards of the Al Aqsa mosque by two Israeli ministers, members of the Israel Knesset, hundreds of Israeli settlers and extremists, and the raising of the Israeli flag, under the protection of the Israeli police, while Palestinian worshipers were prevented from entering Al Aqsa,” a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads.

Only one Knesset member besides the two ministers is known to have today accessed the Temple Mount, the holiest place in Judaism, which also houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.

Cairo says that the “irresponsible and provocative behavior” is in violation of the status quo on the flashpoint site, and calls on the international community to “play an active role in confronting these violations that stir up emotions and thwart efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.”

The site is governed by a vague, unwritten status quo. While Israel regards it as allowing Jews to visit the site but not pray there, Palestinian and Arab leaders view any uptick in visits as a violation of the status quo.