Far-Right Israeli Minister Visits Contested Holy Site, Declares ‘We Will Not Allow Even a Declaration’ of a Palestinian State

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount on Tuesday, the site of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, and slammed several European countries unilaterally recognizing Palestine as a state.

The far-right, controversial party leader in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has long been a lightning rod of controversy for his bombastic rhetoric and claims that Israel should extend into Palestinian territories.

“National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem today. This is the first time the far-right minister visited the key holy site since the outbreak of the war on October 7th. He addressed the announcement by Norway, Ireland, and Spain regarding a declaration of a Palestinian state. Take a listen,” reported I-24 News before showing a clip of Ben-Gvir saying:

From the holiest place of the Jewish people that belongs only to the state of Israel, I say the countries that today recognize the Palestinian state give credit to Hamas, to the murderers and torturers. We will not allow even a declaration, a Palestinian state, even a declaration of this kind of a state.

The Times of Israel also reported that Ben-Gvir said, “In order to destroy Hamas, we need to go into Rafah until the end, to do a root canal.”

The Al-Aqsa mosque is the third holiest place in Islam and has historically been a flashpoint of violence in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Then Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited the site, which is also the holiest site in Judaism, in September of 2000, which resulted in violent protests and is widely credited as a key contributing factor to the deadly Second Intifada.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi reportedly called Ben-Gvir’s visit “provocative” and an “attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.” Jordan’s Waqf administers the Al-Aqsa compound under Israeli security control.

The Times of Israel also noted that “a video posted to X showed Jewish members of Ben-Gvir’s entourage praying, which many see as inflammatory. Muslims are allowed to pray and enter the compound with few restrictions, while Jews can visit only during limited time slots via a single gate and are not officially allowed to pray, although police frequently tolerate limited prayer.”

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also announced Wednesday that “he would stop transferring tax revenues earmarked for the Palestinian Authority, a move that threatens to handicap the government’s already-waning ability to pay salaries to its thousands of employees,” reported the AP. Smotrich said he was making the move in retaliation to Norway announcing it would recognize Palestine.

Watch the clip above.

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