The United Nations warned Thursday that a raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, led by an Israeli cabinet minister and accompanied by extremist groups, poses a “very dangerous” threat to the longstanding status quo governing the city’s holy sites.
“There is a status quo regarding the holy sites of Judaism, Christianity, and, of course, Islam in Jerusalem. It is incumbent that that status quo be respected,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters during a daily briefing.
Dujarric emphasized that Israeli authorities bear the responsibility to uphold this arrangement and guarantee that worshippers of all faiths can access their respective sites freely. “These sorts of activities that we saw today are very dangerous for that status quo,” he added.
The incursion saw Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir join roughly 2,500 Israeli settlers who entered the Al-Aqsa compound on Thursday. The visit coincided with Tisha B’Av, a Jewish day of mourning commemorating the destruction of the ancient temples, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
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