LONDON: Jordan condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Tuesday in East Jerusalem.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates spokesperson Fouad Majali denounced the incident as a “blatant” violation of the site’s status quo, a desecration of its sanctity, and a dangerous provocation. He stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied East Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites, according to the Petra news agency.

Ben-Gvir has visited Al-Aqsa’s compound several times in recent years, despite widespread condemnation.

Majali warned of Israeli attempts to divide the compound both temporally and spatially, saying that these “provocative and inflammatory” actions aim to impose a new reality at the site.

“Israel’s violations reflect the extremist Israeli government’s policy of escalating dangerous and unilateral measures in the occupied West Bank and of violating the sanctity of holy sites in occupied Jerusalem,” he added.