Jerusalem.
An Israeli minister wants to visit the Temple Mount. The terrorist organization Hamas threatens violence. The secret services are worried.
the terrorist organization Hamas threatens Israel with “explosive force” and may do so in the coming days. Hamas told the Lebanese media that they would “not stand by and do nothing” when someone violated the sanctuary of the Al Aqsa Mosque.
The occasion: Israel’s new Minister for National Security, the far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir, had announced that he would visit the Temple Mount later this week. The area houses the third most important shrine in Islam, the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Jews suspect the hill to be the historical site of the temple – for some devout Jews this is therefore an important place of pilgrimage. Jews are currently only allowed to enter the area at certain times and are not allowed to pray there. It is a place that is extremely symbolically charged: every slightest change in the status quo threatens to trigger an escalation.
Hamas threatens violence: history could repeat itself
Israelis and Palestinians became aware of this as early as September 2000: At that time, a visit by the then opposition leader Ariel Sharon triggered the second Intifada – one years of devastating violence. Former police commander Jair Yitzchaki was chief of the Jerusalem police at the time. In an interview, he warned against repeating previous mistakes.
It’s not possible to forbid a minister, regardless of which party, to visit the Temple Mount, says Yitzchaki. Before this happens, however, all secret services and the police should make their assessment and calculate what risk a visit to the Temple Mount could pose for the entire region. The final decision should then lie with the head of government – that is, with Benjamin Netanyahu.
Secret services take a critical view of projects
It is a sensitive moment: Just recently, the Jordanian King Abdullah II warned the new government against changing the status quo. Ben Gvir’s behavior is also seen critically in the secret services. Ben Gvir is unfazed by this. He announced that he wants to enter the area around the Al Aqsa Mosque as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.
On Monday, the police leaders met for a crisis session. Behind the scenes, it is said that the main thing now is to buy time and postpone Ben Gvir’s controversial move. It would not be the first time that the right-wing extremist has entered the Temple Mount. He only visited the area a few months ago. At that time he was just a simple member of parliament. Today, in his capacity as Israeli security minister, he would set foot on the sensitive site.
Is the Third Intifada Coming?
Are Israel and the Palestinian Territories now facing a Third Intifada? Jair Lapid, until recently Prime Minister of Israel, is already warning. “Ben Gvir must not enter the Temple Mount. This is a provocation that will lead to violence and endanger human life,” he stresses. “There will be deaths.”
Ben Gvir’s provocative stance weighs heavily on Israel’s relationship with Jordan. Amman acts as a guardian of the Islamic sanctuaries in Jerusalem. “We have certain red lines,” King Abdullah II said. “If others touch those red lines, we will act accordingly.”
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