The legal status of Al-Quds's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound represents a Palestinian red line that Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir crossed on Wednesday during the "Flag March".

During a speech at the "Flag March" on Wednesday, Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, known for his racist incitement against Arabs, opposition to Palestinian statehood, and leading settler raids into Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestinian neighborhoods, declared Israeli sovereignty over Al-Aqsa.

Ben-Gvir said, "Temple Mount is ours, Damascus Gate is ours, let the whole world know that." 

"Today, according to my policy, Jews entered the Old City freely. And on the Temple Mount Jews prayed freely. We say in the simplest way, it’s ours."

It is worth noting that Ben-Gvir, alongside at least 1,600 Israeli settlers, violated the longstanding arrangement regarding the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

"It is very important. My policy is very clear on this matter: Jews can be anywhere in Jerusalem, pray anywhere," he told an Israeli radio station.

תיעוד חסר תקדים: ישראלי עוטה תפילין בהר הבית.

מדיווחים של פעילים עולה כי לא מעט עולים מניפים דגלי ישראל, שרים שירי הלל ושמחה בהודיה על שחרור ירושלים והר הבית.

57 שנים אחרי שחרור העיר, צעד חשוב לריבונות.

צילום: ארגון "בידינו - למען הר הבית" pic.twitter.com/G2zzheyryi

— חנן גרינווד (@hanan_green) June 5, 2024

Netanyahu: Status quo 'remains unchanged'

When questioned during the radio interview on whether "prayers were being conducted unofficially or quietly", Ben Gvir responded, "No, no, no, no one whispered. Jews prayed on the Temple Mount. That’s the ministerial position and Jews pray on the Temple Mount and that’s a good thing."

In response to Ben-Gvir's statements, Israeli occupation's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the status quo "remains unchanged and will remain so."

However, he did not provide specific details or clarify how his statement corresponds to the events unfolding on Wednesday.

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It is worth noting that Ben-Gvir has included changes to the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque in his ministry's formal action plans. His plan aims to alter the status quo at the Mosque by taking control of the site and allowing access to Zionists.

The march has been considered the most recent in a series of provocative statements and actions by Israeli officials regarding the holy Islamic site.

Palestinians perceive these alterations as an effort to Judaize the compound and marginalize Muslims and Islam from Al-Aqsa.

The big picture

After "Israel's" occupation of East al-Quds began in 1967, it made an arrangement that allowed Jews to perform rituals at the courtyard of the Al-Buraq Wall. Non-Muslims could visit Al-Aqsa during certain hours but were prohibited from performing rituals there.

This remains the official policy of the Israeli occupation government. However, in recent years, Israeli far-right factions have increasingly challenged this status quo. Notably, in 2022, Ben-Gvir often advocated making Al-Aqsa exclusively Jewish.

According to the agreement, Jews are permitted to visit but not perform rituals at the mosque. However, in recent years, the increasing number of Israeli settlers, some performing provocative rituals or accompanied by Israeli occupation forces, has heightened longstanding Palestinian concerns that "Israel" intends to occupy the holy site.

During the Flag March on Wednesday, Israeli settlers shouted anti-Arab slogans and engaged in incendiary behavior. The march proceeded through the Palestinian neighborhoods, intensifying an already charged atmosphere. This year, tensions were even higher due to the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza, casting a shadow over yet another Israeli provocative action.

Read next: Settlers storm al-Quds, assault Palestinians during 'Flag March'

Islamic authorities warn of escalating violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque

Islamic authorities in occupied al-Quds condemned on Wednesday the unprecedented provocations by Israeli settlers on the holy al-Aqsa Mosque, stressing that Israeli occupation forces continue to enforce a "tight security cordon preventing thousands of worshippers from reaching the Mosque."

In a statement, the authorities warned of the "grave consequences of escalating violations" against the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque, pointing to a continuous series of assaults and incursions that could "potentially lead the entire world into an ominous religious war."

The statement denounced the gathering of Israeli settlers at the gates of the al-Aqsa Mosque, their attacks on nearby Palestinian citizens and their homes under the protection of Israeli police, and their dancing and running over Muslim graves in the Bab al-Rahma cemetery in a "hysterical scene devoid of any shame."

The Islamic authorities said that these violations underscore the Israeli occupation's "deliberate provocation of violence and crises" and its ongoing "disregard for Muslim sentiments" by preventing them from protecting their holy sites.

The statement warned that the Israeli violations "destabilize the historical, legal, and religious status quo at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque." This situation, the Islamic authorities emphasized, "necessitates sounding the alarm" and rallying Muslims to fulfill their duty toward their first Qibla.