Jerusalem: Palestinian health officials reported that Israeli military fire killed a 14-year-old Palestinian in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, while an extremist Israeli Cabinet minister visited a significant Jerusalem holy site that has frequently been the site of clashes between Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel and the Palestinians have been engaged in fighting for a year and a half, and Itamar Ben-Gvir's visit to the contentious hilltop compound could escalate already escalating tensions. Additionally, Palestinians who view such visits as provocative were likely to condemn it. Jews and Muslims both revere the location, and their conflicting claims are at the root of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The West Bank town of Qalqilya resident Fares Sharhabil Abu Samra, 14, was killed by Israeli fire early on Thursday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. According to the Israeli military, Palestinians threw rocks and firebombs at soldiers, who then opened fire. The incident was being investigated, it said.
Also Read: Russia's embassy in Moldova is shuttered due to 'hostile action'
To commemorate the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av, a day of mourning and repentance when Jews reflect on the destruction of the First and Second Temples, significant events in Jewish history, Ben-Gvir joined what is likely to be hundreds of Jews visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
In a video released by his office, Ben-Gvir was heard saying, "This is the most important place for the people of Israel, which we must return to and show our rule." The golden Dome of the Rock could be seen in the background.
Ben-Gvir, a former West Bank settler leader and far-right activist who was previously found guilty of inciting hatred and aiding a Jewish terror organisation, is currently Israel's minister of national security and is in charge of the nation's police force.
Ben-Gvir visited the disputed site on Thursday for the third time since joining the far-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The location, where the biblical Temples once stood, is known to Jews as the Temple Mount. It is the holiest site in Judaism. The Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, is located there today.
Also Read: Bold Niger Soldiers Oust President in Daring Coup
His arrival could exacerbate the escalating hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians, whose months-long fighting has resulted in the worst violence in the West Bank in nearly two decades.
Israel has been conducting almost nightly raids into Palestinian territory since early last year, claiming that these operations are necessary to quell insurgency and prevent further attacks. This year's fighting has claimed the lives of more than 160 Palestinians, according to a count by The Associated Press.
The majority of those killed, according to the military, were militants. However, youths throwing stones in protest of the incursions as well as people who were not involved in the altercations have also died. Since the beginning of 2023, Palestinian attacks on Israelis have claimed the lives of at least 26 people.
Jews are allowed to visit the location under long-standing agreements, but not to pray there. However, a growing number of Jewish visitors have started to quietly pray in recent years, which has caused Palestinians to worry that Israel is attempting to divide or annexe the site. Longtime advocate of greater Jewish access is Ben-Gvir.
Also Read: Hollywood Actor Kevin Spacey Acquitted on All Nine Charges in London Trial
In the 1967 Middle East conflict, Israel won control of east Jerusalem, where the compound is located, as well as the West Bank and Gaza. For a future independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital, the Palestinians want those areas. Israel considers east Jerusalem to be its undivided, permanent capital after annexing it in a move that went largely unnoticed by the rest of the world.
Netanyahu's government, which is made up of ultranationalists and proponents of West Bank settlements like Ben-Gvir, has stepped up efforts to strengthen Israel's hold on areas that the Palestinians want for a future state. This has enraged Israel's top ally, the United States, and dashed hopes for Palestinian statehood.