France condemned, on Friday, the visit of Israeli Minister Ben Gvir in charge of national security to the Esplanade des Mosques. A move contrary to the status quo on the holy sites in Jerusalem.
French diplomacy “condemns” the visit Thursday of Israeli National Security Minister Ben Gvir to the Esplanade des Mosques, “in violation of the historic status quo of the Holy Places in Jerusalem”, in a statement on Friday.
“In Jerusalem, the now systematic questioning of the status quo on the Esplanade des Mosques creates a risk of widespread conflagration,” said the spokesperson for the Quai d’Orsay in this statement.
Paris “recalls the need to preserve the historical status quo in the Holy Places in Jerusalem and underlines the importance of Jordan's specific role in this regard,” he adds.
Not the first time
Since entering the government at the end of 2022, far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir has visited this disputed site several times, located in the sector of the Holy City occupied and annexed by Israel. The place is at the very heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the subject of recurring tensions.
The third holiest place in Islam, the Esplanade des Mosques is built on the ruins of the second Jewish temple, destroyed in the year 70 by the Romans. For Jews, it is the Temple Mount, the holiest place in Judaism.
This visit was denounced as a “provocation” by the Palestinian Authority as well as by Jordan, which administers the place. Under a status quo decreed after Israel's conquest of East Jerusalem in 1967, non-Muslims can go to the esplanade at specific times, without praying there.
France
