Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir Visits Temple Mount Despite Hamas Threats
Israeli government minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount Tuesday morning, despite threats from Hamas in Gaza that such a visit would “blow up the situation.” Ben-Gvir, who was named national security minister in the new government headed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, has visited the holiest site for Jews in the past, but not as a minister in an Israeli government.
“Our government will not surrender to threats from Hamas,” Ben-Gvir said at the end of his visit, which took place on the Jewish fast day of the 10th of the month of Tevet, which marks the siege of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylonia, which ended with the destruction of the First Temple, or Solomon’s Temple and the Babylonian exile for the Jews.
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“The Temple Mount is the most important place for the people of Israel. We maintain the freedom of movement for Muslims and Christians, but Jews also go up to the site, and those who make threats must be dealt with with an iron fist,” he also said.
Ben-Gvir, who first announced on Sunday that he would visit the Temple Mount, met with Netanyahu on Monday and security officials to discuss the visit, after which it was announced that he would delay the visit, at Netanyahu’s request. Netanyahu’s Likud party later denied that Netanyahu asked Ben-Gvir to postpone the visit.
