Firebrand Israeli pol barges onto Temple Mount to slam countries for recognizing Palestinian state
Israel’s firebrand National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir barged his way onto the contested Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Wednesday to slam the decision by three European nations to recognize Palestine as a state — saying it was tantamount to rewarding Hamas for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
Gvir, 48, said the European leaders were essentially “giving a prize to Nukhba [Hamas’s elite commando unit] murderers and abusers,” the Times of Israel reports.
Gvir’s presence at the holy site was criticized as “provocative;” it’s the first time he’s pushed his way into the holy site since the Oct. 7 massacre.
Gvir’s comments were directed at Irish leader Simon Harris, who announced on Wednesday at a press conference in Dublin that he and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez would officially recognize a Palestinian state next Tuesday.
“Today, Ireland, Norway and Spain are announcing that we recognize the state of Palestine,” Harris said. “Each of us will now undertake whatever national steps are necessary to give effect to that decision.”
Store said the joint decision was necessary, saying that a two-state solution was a prerequisite for “achieving peace in the Middle East.”
Sanchez also claimed that the decision to recognize Palestine was in no way a show of support for Hamas terrorists or a condemnation of the Jewish state.
“This recognition is not against the people of Israel and certainly not against the Jewish people,” he said in a statement. “It’s not in favor of Hamas. It’s in favor of co-existence.”
Hamas, however, celebrated the decision and demanded others to “recognize our legitimate national rights, support the struggle of our people for liberation and independence, and end the Zionist occupation of our land,” CNN reports.
The Palestinian Authority welcomed the decision and tapped Spain in particular for helping lead the path for other European countries to follow.
“This step reflects Spain’s keenness to support the Palestinian people and their inalienable and legitimate rights to their land and homeland,” the PA said in a statement, as reported by Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Harris said he expects other countries to join the three nations in the coming weeks in supporting a Palestinian statehood.
The majority of the world already recognized Palestine as a state, with more than 140 of the 193 UN members actively acknowledging the status, but many European Union nations still refuse.
Gvir, who heads Israel’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party, said decisions to recognize a Palestinian state would hurt the war effort in Gaza, which she says needs to ramp up as he called for a full-scale operation in Rafah, where Hamas’ last battalions are believed to be station.
“In order to destroy Hamas, we need to go into Rafah until the end, to do a root canal,” Gvir said while also demanding Israel cut off fuel deliveries to Gaza.
Gvir’s decision to give the statement from the Temple Mount caused controversy.
Jewish visitors are not officially allowed to pray at the site, which is known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam.
Despite the restriction, Gvir prayed at the site on Wednesday sparking fury from Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who said the visit summed up to an “attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to public broadcaster Kan.
This is not the first time Gvir has stirred controversy, with the National Security minister previously convicted eight times for offenses that range from racism to supporting a terrorist organization.
Gvir has been linked to various incidents opposing negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, including when he famously broke the hood ornament of then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s car in 1995.
Gvir rose to prominence as a successful defense attorney for Israelis accused of violence against Palestinians, later moving to politics where he was elected to parliament in 2021.
Earlier this month, Gvir criticized President Biden’s decision to pause weapons deliveries to Israel over concerns of a full scale attack in Rafah.
With Post wires
