The US, UN EU, and several regional countries have strongly condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque's compound in occupied East Jerusalem by far-right Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Tuesday, saying the move is a "blatant disregard" to the holy site's status.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticised Ben-Gvir's leading of some 2,250 Jewish settlers into the compound of Islam's third holiest site as violating the status quo of Al-Aqsa.
"The United States strongly opposes Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir's visit to the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount on Aug. 13, which demonstrated blatant disregard for the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites in Jerusalem," Blinken said in a statement on Tuesday.
"These provocative actions only exacerbate tensions at a pivotal moment when all focus should be on the ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a cease-fire agreement and secure the release of all hostages and create the conditions for broader regional stability."
Stressing that Netanyahu's office made clear that the actions of Minister Ben-Gvir were "inconsistent" with Israeli government policy, Blinken said the US would look to Israel to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell posted on X that the bloc "strongly condemns the provocations" by Ben-Gvir.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the UN was "against any efforts to change the status quo within the holy sites.".
"This sort of behaviour is unhelpful, and it is unduly provocative," he added.
France's foreign ministry said in a statement: "This new provocation is unacceptable."
Images posted on social media networks showed Ben-Gvir inside the compound while Jewish settlers lay on the ground performing Talmudic rituals.
Ben-Gvir released a video statement on X, which he filmed from inside the compound, vowing to oppose any ceasefire deal to end Israel's war on Gaza, where at least 39,900 people - mostly civilians - have been killed.
"We must win this war. We must win and not go to the talks in Doha or Cairo," he said, referring to the US-backed negotiations for a truce and hostage release deal for Gaza set to resume on Thursday.
Regional outrage
The Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the move was "reckless" and sought to push the situation to the brink by "deliberately" inciting millions of Muslims around the world.
Gamal Roshdy, the secretary-general’s spokesman, said the storming was carried out under the protection of Israeli police, who transformed the Old City into a militarised zone and imposed severe restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshippers. As such, he added, the occupation government bore full responsibility.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an umbrella group of Muslim-majority states, "strongly condemned" the incident and said it was a "provocation to the feelings of Muslims all over the world".
Turkey's foreign ministry said the storming was a "provocation that violates the historical status of Jerusalem and will further increase escalation in our region", adding that the move showed that Israel had no "intention of reaching peace".
Jordan's foreign ministry condemned the "storming" of the holy site, calling it a "flagrant violation of international law.".
"The continual violations of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its sanctities require a clear and firm international position that condemns these violations," ministry spokesperson Sufyan al-Qudah said in a statement.
Egypt said it condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards and the raising of an Israeli flag inside the compound.
Cairo stressed that such irresponsible and provocative acts constituted a violation of international law and the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem.