The leadership of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) has condemned a call by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to build a synagogue on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, labeling it “an attempt to start a religious war.” Palestinian leadership spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh issued a statement expressing these concerns.
“All calls to cause damage to the Al-Aqsa Mosque can only be seen as attempts to drag the region into a religious war, a fire in which all its participants will be burned,” Abu Rudeineh was quoted by the WAFA news agency. He stressed that for Palestinians, the preservation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque is “a red line that must not be crossed,” and urged the international community “to take urgent measures to contain the activities of Israel’s extremist government.” According to Abu Rudeineh, “it is the political, military, and financial support from the United States that encourages the Israeli authorities to pursue such policies against the Palestinians and their holy sites.”
On Monday, Ben-Gvir announced his intention to build a synagogue on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, according to the Israeli portal Ynet. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office reaffirmed the inviolability of the status quo on the Temple Mount, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant described any attempts to challenge the status quo as “dangerous, unnecessary, and irresponsible.”
This is not the first time Ben-Gvir has challenged the status quo on the Temple Mount. The Israeli prime minister's office has previously stated that “policymaking” regarding the holy site is “directly under the authority of the government and its head” and that there is “no room for the personal politics” of the national security minister. Ben-Gvir has already visited the Temple Mount three times in 2024—on May 22, July 18, and August 13. Additionally, on July 24, the National Security Minister stated at a Knesset conference dedicated to “Israel's return to the Temple Mount” that, as a representative of the country's authorities, he permits Jews to pray at the site. As Ynet noted, the minister’s stance effectively challenges the existing status quo, which allows only Muslims to pray at the Temple Mount, while Jews are permitted to visit the site without engaging in religious acts.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Based on materials from TASS