It also asks that they avoid making visits to holy places such as the one carried out by the far-right minister Ben Gvir
May 23. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has called on Israel’s political and religious leaders to avoid visiting holy places and “reject inflammatory rhetoric”, after Israel’s Security Minister and far-right leader , Itamar Ben Gvir, will come this weekend to the Esplanade of the Mosques of Jerusalem.
Guterres’ spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, explained at a press conference that “the minister’s visit was followed by serious concern on the part of the Secretary General”, while criticizing “the alarming and provocative rhetoric that we saw around that visit.”
“The status quo of the holy places must be respected in line with the special and historical responsibilities and the role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as custodian of said places in Jerusalem,” Dujarric concluded.
Ben Gvir visited the Esplanade of the Mosques again this Sunday to claim “control” of his government over the place: “Here we are in command, delighted to climb the Temple Mount, the holiest place for the Jews,” he declared. , before applauding the Police for “showing who is in charge of Jerusalem.”
The Palestinian Authority Foreign Ministry “strongly” condemned Ben Gvir’s visit “under the guard and protection of the Israeli occupation forces”, while the Jordanian Foreign Ministry has directly described Ben Gvir’s visit as a ” assault” on the Esplanade, a “violation of its sanctity” and an “act of provocation”.
The US government condemned the “provocative” visit by Ben Gvir: “This sacred space must not be used for political purposes, and we call on all parties to respect its sacredness,” said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, it’s a statement.
