January 3, 2023
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Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir Visits Temple Mount
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made an unannounced visit on Tuesday to the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site, drawing protests from the Palestinians, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Jews maintain a 3,000-year-old connection to the Temple Mount, where the two ancient Jewish temples once stood, and toward which Jews around the world face during prayer. The site is also sacred to Muslims, who call it the Noble Sanctuary, and houses the Al Aqsa Mosque, an icon of Palestinian nationalism. Ben-Gvir’s visit did not alter the mount’s status quo arrangement, which permits Israelis to visit but not pray at the site, and simply affirmed that Jews have the right to visit it.