An Israeli minister’s visit to a temple has caused anger and outrage resulting in countries like Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to condemn it.

It all began when Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led a group of Jewish worshipers in prayer atop the Temple Mount on Sunday and prayed at the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, violating a decades-old arrangement covering one of the most sensitive sites in West Asia.

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At the spot, Ben Gvir also called for his country to “conquer” Gaza and “encourage” Palestinians to leave the enclave.

But why has his visit caused such a stir? What’s behind the fury?

Ben Gvir offers prayers at al-Aqsa mosque

On Sunday (August 3), the
far-right minister visited the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem and prayed there along with thousands of others under the protection of the Israeli military. According to Times of Israel, he offered prayers, a first for Ben Gvir, who has visited the site in the past too.

The prayers came on the occasion of Tisha B’Av, when Jews mourn the destruction of two Jewish temples.

After leading prayers at the religious site, Ben Gvir called for the annexation of Gaza and for Palestinians to leave the territory. He said that he prayed for Israel’s victory over the Palestinian militant group Hamas and for the return of Israeli hostages being held by militants there, and repeated his call for Israel to conquer the entire enclave.

תיעוד מהר הבית: בן גביר הוביל את התפילה, עשרות רקדו ושרו

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— ערוץ 7 (@arutz7heb) August 3, 2025

“It is from here that a message must be sent: to conquer the entire Gaza Strip, declare sovereignty over all of Gaza, eliminate every Hamas member, and encourage voluntary emigration,” the minister said in a video recorded at the compound. “Only in this way will we bring back the hostages and win the war.”

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADCondemnation for Ben Gvir’s visit

Soon after Ben Gvir visited the al-Aqsa mosque and offered prayers, he was slammed by many for being provocative and violating an age-old agreement.

Hamas called Ben Gvir’s visit “a deepening of the ongoing aggressions against our Palestinian people”. Even the spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the visit “crossed all red lines.

“The international community, specifically the US administration, must intervene immediately to put an end to the crimes of the settlers and the provocations of the extreme right-wing government in al-Aqsa Mosque, stop the war on the Gaza Strip and bring in humanitarian aid,” said the spokesperson in a statement.

Officials from Jordan, which administrates the holy site, also condemned Ben Gvir’s actions. Jordan’s foreign ministry described the incident as a “blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, an unacceptable provocation, and a condemned escalation.”

Saudi Arabia also slammed Ben Gvir for his actions, with the kingdom accusing the Israeli leader of fueling conflict. A statement by Saudi’s foreign ministry on X condemned “in the strongest terms … the repeated provocative practices by officials of the Israeli occupation authorities against al-Aqsa mosque. The kingdom affirms that such practices fuel the conflict in the region.”

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Later, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement in response to Ben Gvir’s visit, insisting that “Israel’s policy of maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change.”

However, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed to “strengthen” Jewish sovereignty on the Temple Mount. “Israel’s enemies around the world will continue to make decisions against us and demonstrate, and we will strengthen our hold and sovereignty over Jerusalem, the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount forever and ever,” Katz wrote on X. “On Tisha B’Av, 2,000 years after the destruction of the Second Temple, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount are once again under the sovereignty of the State of Israel.”

The Al-Aqsa mosque, also known to Jews as Temple Mount, is considered holy to the Muslims as well as the Jews. File image/ReutersBut why the outrage over his visit

That’s because of the history of this site. The
al-Aqsa lies at the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City on a hill known to Jews as Har ha-Bayit, or Temple Mount, and to Muslims internationally as al-Haram al-Sharif, or The Noble Sanctuary.

Muslims regard the site as the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. They believe the site is where Prophet Muhammad led his fellow prophets in prayer during a miraculous night journey, known as the Miraj.

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On the other hand, Temple Mount, as the Jews call it, is the holiest place in Judaism. According to Jews, it where two ancient Jewish temples once stood – the temple built by King Solomon, which was destroyed by the Babylonians, and the second temple, destroyed by the Romans.

Following the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, it was decided that Jordan would control matters inside the compound while the external security would be the responsibility of Israel. Furthermore, non-Muslims would be allowed on to the site during visiting hours, but would not be allowed to pray there.

Now, herein lies the problem. Israeli forces have stationed guards at the site and permitted Jews to enter the compound, upsetting Muslims. It has also resulted in clashes at the site in the past — with the most recent one being in 2023 when 14 Palestinians were injured after Israeli police officials attacked dozens of worshippers at the religious site’s compound.

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Moreover, Palestinians view visits by Jewish leaders as provocative and as a potential precursor to Israel seizing control over the compound.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has visited the al-Aqsa compound on multiple occasions in the past. However, Sunday’s visit was unique as he offered prayers for the first time. File image/ReutersBen Gvir and al-Aqsa mosque

Notably, this isn’t the first time that Ben Gvir has run into controversy. The fiery far-right minister has been convicted eight times for offences that include racism and supporting a terrorist organisation. Just last week, he was declared a persona non grata by the Netherlands for reportedly inciting violence against Palestinians, advocating for the expansion of illegal settlements and calling for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.

He’s also been
sanctioned by Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.

Moreover, he’s known to make fiery and controversial statements at the al-Aqsa mosque site. Last August, he said in an interview that he would
build a synagogue at the al-Aqsa compound. “If I could do anything I wanted, I would put an Israeli flag on the site,” Ben Gvir said in the interview. And when asked several times by a journalist if he would build a synagogue at the site if it were up to him, Ben-Gvir finally replied: “Yes.”

With inputs from agencies