US lays into Ben Gvir’s ‘unacceptable’ violation of Temple Mount status quo

The Biden administration lays into National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir who led a visit to the Temple Mount with several other Israeli lawmakers where participants were filmed praying in violation of the status quo that governs the flashpoint site.

“We certainly are paying close attention to actions and activities that we find to be a detraction from Israel’s security, a contributor to greater insecurity and instability in the region. That would certainly be the actions that we saw today that Mr. Ben Gvir participated in,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel says during a press briefing.

“Even the Prime Minister’s Office made clear that the events of this morning are a deviation from what is Israeli policy and a deviation from the status quo,” Patel notes.

“The United States stands firmly for preservation of the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites of Jerusalem. Any unilateral action like this that jeopardizes the status quo is unacceptable.”

“It detracts from what we think is a vital time, as we are working to get this ceasefire deal across the finish line. It detracts from what our stated goal is for the region, which is a two-state solution,” he adds.