Germany calls Al Aqsa visit by new Israeli minister a provocation
FILE PHOTO: A visitor looks up at the Dome of the Rock on the compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City January 3, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo
Germany rejects unilateral steps that endanger the status quo on the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, said a foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday, calling a visit there by Israel's new far-right national security minister a provocation.
"We expect the new Israeli government to commit to a continuation of the tried and tested practice around the holy sites in Jerusalem and to put a stop to further deliberate provocations," said the spokesperson at a regular government news conference.
The Israeli minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, briefly visited Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Tuesday, a site also revered by Jews, angering the Palestinians and drawing a slew of condemnations.
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