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Saudis, UAE join wave of condemnations against Ben Gvir’s Temple Mount visit
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visits the Temple Mount, January 3, 2023. (Courtesy Minhelet Har Habayit)
The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemns Israel over the visit this morning by new National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to the Temple Mount.
Saudi Arabia expresses “condemnation” over “the provocative action by an Israeli official who stormed” the flashpoint site, the ministry says in a statement.
The United Arab Emirates, where new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was slated to visit next week, also condemns Ben Gvir’s visit, issuing a statement denouncing his “storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard” and calling for an end to “serious and provocative violations.”
The US, French and EU embassies in Israel also issue statements opposing Ben Gvir’s visit and urging calm at the site.
