Newly installed Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem has drawn swift international response. The United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt all expressed concern to condemnation of the visit. Newsmax also reports that the United Arab Emirates and China have approached the UN Security Council about the visit. Hamas and Hezbollah threatened retaliation for the “Zionist’s occupation aggression on our sacred places and war on our Arab identity.†Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed the incident saying that there was no change in the “status quo.†Ben-Gvir called the Temple Mount “the most important place for the Jewish people” and said that he would continue to visit.
