The U.N. Security Council will convene a meeting to discuss the Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s raid of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which sparked a flurry of international condemnation.
The date of the Security Council meeting has not been set, which was officially requested by the UAE and China on behalf of the Palestinian and Jordanian UN missions, but it could take place as early as Thursday. This was stated by one diplomat.
Ben-Gvir, the leader of the extremist Otzma Yehudit party, invaded the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday morning, ignoring warnings of a serious backlash.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Ben-Gvir did not violate the status quo with his raid. The statement adds that “the allegation that the status quo has been changed is unfounded.”
Among the countries condemning the raid were the U.S., Britain and France, as well as the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.
Asked about the raid, the White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that “the United States is firmly committed for maintaining the status quo with regard to the holy places in Jerusalem. Any unilateral action that jeopardizes the status quo is unacceptable.”
The raid heightened fears of unrest as Palestinian resistance factions threatened to retaliate.
Jordan summoned the Israeli ambassador because of Ben-Gvir’s raid of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
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