US condemns Israeli politicians for climbing Temple Mount

Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir

The United States considers the actions of two ministers, members of the Knesset and hundreds of Israeli citizens ascending Jerusalem’s Temple Mount to be unacceptable and a threat to the status quo.

How it is communicated Vesti.az As far as TASS is concerned, this was pointed out by Vedant Patel, deputy director of the US State Department’s Information Service, during a regular briefing with journalists.

“Let me be clear: the United States supports maintaining the historic status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem. Any unilateral actions that undermine that status quo, such as today’s action, are unacceptable,” he said. The State Department spokesman added that the United States is closely watching actions that “distract from Israel’s security and do not contribute to enhancing security and stability in the region.”

Patel also pointed out that Israeli politicians climbing the Temple Mount distracts from the goal set by the United States and its mediators to achieve stability in the region through a two-state solution. “It distracts from our stated goal in the region – a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel, coexisting in dignity and harmony,” he said. “We understand the importance of this holy site, so we call on all parties to respect the status quo, but such actions are certainly distracting and we find them unacceptable,” the official stressed.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir again visited the Temple Mount and reiterated his policy of allowing Jews to pray at the site. From sunset on August 12 to the evening of August 13, Israelis celebrated the 9th of Av, a day of mourning and fasting to commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. e. and by the Romans in 70 A.D. e. More than 1,600 Jews visited the Temple Mount on Tuesday, including Ben-Gvir and several other right-wing politicians, The Times of Israel reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called Ben Gvir’s actions a violation of the status quo on the Temple Mount, which states that only Muslims have the right to pray within the holy site and that Jews can only visit the site but not perform religious activities there.