DUBAI: Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Monday stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during controversial “Jerusalem Day” celebrations marking Israel’s 1967 capture of East Jerusalem — a move that further heightened tensions in the occupied city.
His visit coincided with the entry of more than 900 extremist Jewish settlers, accompanied by Israeli police, into the courtyards of the sacred site — known to Jews as the Temple Mount — according to the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department.
The group included Knesset members and rabbis who performed what the Waqf described as “provocative Talmudic rituals” throughout the compound. In one incident, a settler raised an Israeli flag and danced in the eastern section of Al-Aqsa, a move viewed by Palestinians as a violation of the site's fragile status quo, which prohibits non-Muslim prayer.
The Waqf also reported that settlers attempted to bring Torah scrolls through the Mughrabi Gate, while hundreds more gathered in Al-Buraq Square and near Qattanin Gate to perform religious rituals and dances.
Meanwhile, Israeli extremist Knesset member Moshe Feiglin was reportedly planning to visit the site later in the day after awarding a medal to a retired Israeli soldier who took part in the 1967 occupation of Jerusalem.
Tensions escalated further in the surrounding areas as large groups of young Israeli Jews — many wrapped in flags and chanting nationalist slogans — marched through Muslim neighborhoods of the Old City. Some were heard shouting “Death to Arabs” and “May your village burn” as they moved through the narrow alleyways, where Palestinian shops had closed early in anticipation of violence.
Volunteers from the pro-peace groups Standing Together and Free Jerusalem attempted to position themselves between the marchers and Palestinian residents to de-escalate tensions. Despite their efforts, confrontations flared. “This is our home, this is our state,” one protester shouted at a Palestinian woman. “Go away from here!” she replied, in Hebrew.
Police deployed heavily throughout the area, erecting iron barriers at key entry points including Damascus Gate, and heavily restricting Palestinian access. At one point, an Israeli officer was seen raising his arms in celebration and embracing a marcher — a moment that underscored the increasingly blurred lines between law enforcement and nationalist demonstrators.
The annual “Flag March,” expected to pass through densely populated Palestinian areas such as Al-Wad Street and Damascus Gate, has long been viewed as a flashpoint for violence, with settler provocations and harassment of Muslim worshippers reportedly intensifying in recent days.
