Far-right Israeli cabinet minister visits Jerusalem holy site, prompting condemnation

A far-right Israeli minister visited a holy site in Jerusalem on Tuesday, 3 January, prompting condemnation from the United States and the Muslim world.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultra-nationalist supporter of illegal settlements in the West Bank, entered the site, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount.

Israel captured the site in 1967. Since then, Jews have been permitted to visit but not pray there.

The move has been seen by Palestinians, who consider the site a national symbol, as a provocation.

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