Gallant slams Ben Gvir for Temple Mount visit: ‘Constantly trying to blow up the Middle East’

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant slams far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for claiming to have prayed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and saying this is now allowed.

“Itamar Ben-Gvir is constantly trying to blow up the Middle East,” Gallant posts on X in English. “I categorically reject any ideas of hurting the Status Quo in the holy city of Jerusalem.”

Itamar Ben-Gvir is constantly trying to blow up the Middle East.

I categorically reject any ideas of hurting the Status Quo in the holy city of Jerusalem.

— יואב גלנט – Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) July 24, 2024

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City is the holiest place in Judaism, as the site of the two biblical temples. Known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, it is home to Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.

It has been a frequent flashpoint for violence.

The vague status quo governing the compound allows Muslims to pray and enter with few restrictions, while non-Muslims, including Jews, can visit only during limited time slots via a single gate, with visibly religious Jews only allowed to walk on a predetermined route, closely accompanied by police. While Jews are not officially allowed to pray, police have increasingly tolerated limited, quiet prayer.