Ben-Gvir visits Al-Aqsa compound, drawing international condemnation

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Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the sensitive Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City on Tisha B'Av and praised Jewish visitors who he said prayed there in breach of the long-standing arrangement that permits Jewish visits but not prayer. The compound is administered by a Jordanian religious foundation under a delicate status quo, and Jordan and Palestinian religious authorities condemned the visit as a violation and provocation. There was no immediate unrest, and Netanyahu's office made no immediate comment, though past similar incidents have prompted Israeli reassurances about keeping policy unchanged.

The visit challenged the long-standing prayer status quo at Al-Aqsa.