{"id":2323961,"date":"2024-08-13T16:45:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T20:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israeli-firebrand-ben-gvir-challenges-netanyahu-on-temple-mount-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-13T16:48:23","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T20:48:23","slug":"israeli-firebrand-ben-gvir-challenges-netanyahu-on-temple-mount-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israeli-firebrand-ben-gvir-challenges-netanyahu-on-temple-mount-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli firebrand Ben Gvir challenges Netanyahu on Temple Mount &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fisraeli-firebrand-ben-gvir-challenges-netanyahu-on-temple-mount-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2323961&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben\u200d Gvir \u200drecently visited the al-Aqsa\u2064 Mosque compound on the Temple Mount, \u2062a move that has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/irish-womens-lgbt-football-team-with-male-player-beats-finals-opponent-by-8-goals\/\" title=\"Irish Women\u2019s &quot;LGBT&quot; Football Team With Male Player Beats Finals Opponent By 8 Goals\">sparked significant controversy<\/a> and opposition\u2064 within Israel and the broader region. This visit\u2063 is viewed as a provocation that undermines \u200bthe delicate status\u2063 quo \u200dpreviously maintained at the site, which is revered by both Jews and Muslims. <\/p>\n<p>Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Ben Gvir\u2019s actions as reckless and indicative of a government\u2063 unable to effectively \u200cgovern,\u2062 while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u200c distanced himself from Ben Gvir&#8217;s challenge to the established order, asserting that the management of\u200d the\u200b Temple Mount \u200dremains under \u200dan Islamic organization, thus affirming that no\u200d minister has unilateral authority over the site.<\/p>\n<p>Ben Gvir&#8217;s \u200dactions drew sharp rebukes, including from U.S. Secretary\u200d of State \u2062Antony Blinken&#8217;s team,\u2063 who cautioned that such unilateral moves could destabilize the already \u2064tense security \u200csituation in the \u200bregion, especially as mediators \u200dpush for a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Ben Gvir, who opposes the ceasefire negotiations, called for victory over Hamas rather than diplomatic discussions.<\/p>\n<p>His \u2062visit has been\u2062 condemned by\u200c various leaders, particularly in\u200d the Arab community,\u200d who view\u200c it\u2063 as an \u200bassault on \u2064both Palestinian \u2064rights and broader\u2063 Muslim sentiments. The incident underscores the \u200crising\u200d tensions within Netanyahu&#8217;s coalition government\u200d and threatens to exacerbate conflict amidst ongoing military operations in \u200bGaza.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Israeli firebrand Ben Gvir challenges Netanyahu on Temple Mount<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1729329\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Israel&rsquo;s controversial National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the al Aqsa Mosque compound on the Temple Mount on Tuesday, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/religion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"religious\">religious<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3098025\/israel-gallant-ben-gvir-blow-up-middle-east\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>political provocation<\/a> that threatens to fracture Israeli Prime Minister <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/benjamin-netanyahu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"religious\">Benjamin Netanyahu&rsquo;s<\/a> government.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The bunch of irresponsible extremists in the government is trying to drag Israel to an all-out regional war,&rdquo; Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said after Ben Gvir led a group of politicians and worshippers to the holy site. &ldquo;These people can&rsquo;t run a country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Netanyahu emphasized that Ben Gvir does not run the country and so lacks the authority to flout the &ldquo;status quo&rdquo; &mdash; an arrangement in which the site is administered by an Islamic organization, which reserves the site for Muslims.&nbsp;Yet Ben Gvir responded with a direct challenge to Netanyahu&rsquo;s authority, at the risk of inflaming not only the security situation but the fraying ties that bind the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-to-host-netanyahu-at-mar-a-lago-when-israeli-leader-comes-to-us-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump to host Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago when Israeli leader comes to US - Washington Examiner\">prime minister&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s coalition government together.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The policy of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/we-will-not-be-dictated-to-by-hamas-new-israeli-national-security-minister-visits-temple-mount\/\" title=\"\u2018We Will Not Be Dictated To By Hamas\u2019: The New Israeli National Security Minister Visits Temple Mount\">national security minister<\/a> is to allow freedom of worship for Jews everywhere, including the Temple Mount, and Jews will continue to do so in the future as well,&rdquo;&nbsp;Ben Gvir said Tuesday. &ldquo;The Temple Mount is a sovereign area in the State of Israel&rsquo;s capital.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Ben Gvir&rsquo;s promenade through the site, a holy place for both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/judaism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Judaism\">Judaism<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/islam\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Judaism\">Islam,<\/a> outraged local and international Arab leaders as well as other members of the coalition government. &ldquo;There is no private policy of any minister &mdash; not the National Security Minister or any other minister &mdash; on the Temple Mount,&rdquo; Netanyahu said in a statement amid the uproar. &ldquo;This morning&rsquo;s incident on the Temple Mount deviated from the status quo. Israel&rsquo;s policy on the Temple Mount has not changed; this is how it has been and this is&nbsp;how&nbsp;it&nbsp;will&nbsp;be.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Secretary of State Antony Blinken&rsquo;s team echoed Netanyahu&rsquo;s condemnation. &ldquo;We certainly are paying close attention to actions and activities that we find to be a detraction from Israel&rsquo;s security, a contributor to greater insecurity and instability in the region, and that would certainly be the actions that we saw today that Mr. Ben-Gvir participated in,&rdquo; State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said Tuesday. &ldquo;Any unilateral action like this that jeopardizes such status quo is unacceptable. And not only is it unacceptable, it detracts from what we think is a vital time as we are working to get this ceasefire deal across the finish line.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Ben Gvir has made multiple trips to the Temple Mount amid the war in Gaza despite Netanyahu&rsquo;s objections. The latest visit came at an especially fraught moment for Israeli security officials and civil society as U.S. and Arab mediators are trying to finalize a ceasefire deal that would involve the release of hostages held by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hamas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Hamas\">Hamas<\/a> and perhaps alleviate the threat of an attack on Israel by Iran.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The repeated attempts to undermine the religious and historical status of Al-Aqsa Mosque are not only an attack on the Palestinians but on millions of Muslims around the world,&rdquo; the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is helping to broker the negotiations, said in a statement on Tuesday. &ldquo;The Ministry warns of the impact of these violations on the ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, and urged the international community to take urgent action to stop these attacks.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Ben Gvir, an opponent of the ceasefire deal who wants Netanyahu to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/3003771\/netanyahu-allies-israel-annex-gaza-holy-land\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>annex<\/a> the Gaza Strip, used his appearance at the compound to protest the ceasefire negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We come &hellip; to commemorate the destruction of the Temple,&rdquo; Ben Gvir <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ynetnews.com\/article\/r12nwou9c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> in a video recorded in the compound. &ldquo;We must win this war and not go to conferences in Doha or Cairo but defeat them &mdash; bring them to their knees. This is the message. We can defeat Hamas.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Although Ben Gvir framed the trek as a triumph of religious nationalism for pious Jews, his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org\/otzma-yehudit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>ultranationalist<\/a> faction is at odds with the Chief Rabbinate, which regards the Temple Mount as the place of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/degel-hatorah-coalition-faction-mouthpiece-pans-ben-gvir-for-temple-mount-visit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>&ldquo;the Holy of Holies&rdquo;<\/a> in the ancient temple and thus a place where no one but the high priest could enter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/top-ultra-orthodox-rabbi-tells-uae-envoy-temple-mount-shouldnt-concern-jews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>under Jewish law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The damage to the sanctity of Temple Mount and the status quo is not of interest to Minister Ben Gvir,&rdquo; said Moshe Gafni, one of the leaders of the United Torah Judaism party. &ldquo;The damage it causes to the Jewish people is unbearably great. &hellip; We will have to check with our rabbis whether we can be partners with him, and we will make this clear to the prime minister as well.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The UTJ has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/united-torah-judaism-says-it-wont-vote-with-coalition-in-protest-of-missing-funding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>seven votes<\/a> in Netanyahu&rsquo;s 64-member coalition government. The prime minister needs a minimum of 61 votes to have a majority in the Israeli Knesset, which has 120 members total.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ben Gvir&rsquo;s election campaign at the Temple Mount, which completely goes against the stance of security officials, during a war, is endangering the lives of Israeli citizens and the lives of our soldiers and police officers,&rdquo; Lapid said.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1729329\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1729329\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israeli firebrand Ben Gvir confronts Netanyahu over Temple Mount<\/p>\n<p>Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel&#8217;s contentious National Security Minister, visited the al Aqsa Mosque compound on the Temple Mount on Tuesday, an act seen as both a religious and political provocation that could destabilize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s government. Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the government, stating, \u201cA group of reckless extremists is attempting to drag Israel into a full-scale regional war. These individuals are unfit to govern.\u201d In response to Ben Gvir leading a group of politicians and worshippers at the site, Netanyahu asserted that Ben Gvir does not have the authority to disrupt the &#8220;status quo,&#8221; which designates administration of the site to an Islamic organization for Muslim use.<\/p>\n<p>Ben Gvir directly challenged Netanyahu&#8217;s authority by asserting his policy supports freedom of worship for Jews at all locations, including Temple Mount. He declared it a sovereign area within Israel\u2019s capital. His visit angered local and international Arab leaders as well as other coalition members. In light of this incident, Netanyahu stated there is no individual ministerial policy regarding Temple Mount and reaffirmed that Israel&#8217;s stance on it remains unchanged.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken\u2019s team echoed these sentiments by condemning actions that threaten regional security and stability. Deputy spokesman Vedant Patel remarked that any unilateral actions jeopardizing established agreements are unacceptable.<\/p>\n<p>Despite objections from Netanyahu, Ben Gvir has made several visits to Temple Mount during ongoing conflict in Gaza; his latest visit coincided with sensitive negotiations for a ceasefire deal involving hostage releases held by Hamas while also addressing potential threats from Iran.<\/p>\n<p>The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned against undermining Al-Aqsa Mosque&#8217;s status as it could hinder ceasefire efforts in Gaza and called for urgent international intervention against such provocations.<\/p>\n<p>Ben Gvir used his presence at the compound to voice opposition against ceasefire negotiations while promoting religious nationalism among Jews. However, his ultranationalist views clash with those held by Chief Rabbinate authorities who regard Temple Mount as sacred ground restricted under Jewish law.<\/p>\n<p>Moshe Gafni from United Torah Judaism expressed concern over how Ben Gvir\u2019s actions might damage Jewish interests and indicated they would consult their rabbis about their partnership with him in light of these developments\u2014especially since UTJ holds seven votes in Netanyahu&#8217;s 64-member coalition government essential for maintaining majority control in Knesset.<\/p>\n<p>Lapid further criticized Ben Gvir\u2019s actions during wartime as endangering Israeli citizens&#8217; lives along with those serving in military or police roles<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2743,"featured_media":2323962,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/ap-itamar-ben-gvir-jerusalem-081324.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[36068,6524,38053],"class_list":["post-2323961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ben-gvir","tag-netanyahu","tag-temple-mount"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/ap-itamar-ben-gvir-jerusalem-081324.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2743"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2323961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2323962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2323961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2323961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2323961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}