Moscow has expressed grave concern over the recent visit of Israel's Minister of National Security to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the subsequent collective prayers held there. The Russian Foreign Ministry has called for an end to such provocative actions.
“Moscow is deeply troubled by the provocative actions taken by Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir. On August 13, he visited the Al-Aqsa mosque complex with a large group of radical supporters to conduct a collective prayer marking the anniversary of the destruction of the First and Second Temples,” the Ministry’s statement read. “This behavior, driven by radical Zionist elements, has unfortunately become a recurring issue.”
The statement continued, “The Israeli authorities must go beyond mere condemnation and take decisive actions to halt these harmful practices. Such actions flagrantly violate the status quo of Jerusalem's holy sites as established in the 1994 Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty.”
“These irresponsible moves are inflaming radical sentiments both within Israeli society and among Palestinians, and they undermine international efforts to de-escalate the ongoing violence in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, especially amidst the continued hostilities in the Gaza Strip," the Foreign Ministry added.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Akishin Vyacheslav/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS