Israel’s Ben Gvir says he feels like the 'owner' of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said on Sunday that he feels like the “owner” of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City and that he was seeking greater access for Jewish worshippers.

Ben Gvir made the controversial comments during a raid of Al-Aqsa, one of Islam’s holiest sites, just days after Israel reopened the complex to Palestinian worshippers following more than a month-long closure.

"Today, I feel like the owner here," the far-right minister said in a video filmed at the site and distributed by his office.

"There is still more to do, more to improve. I keep pushing the Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] to do more and more; we must keep rising higher and higher."

The comments come amid ongoing efforts to increase Jewish presence at the site while restricting Palestinian access.

Earlier this week, Israel allowed access to the mosque after an unprecedented closure lasting more than 40 days, during which Palestinians were barred from entering, including during Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and Friday prayers.

Israeli authorities also resumed the near-daily incursions by ultranationalists into Al-Aqsa, while extending their duration.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is governed by a decades-old Status Quo, an international arrangement that recognises its Islamic character and grants Muslim authorities control over access, worship and maintenance. Under the delicate understanding, Jews can visit but may not pray there.

Israel has long violated this arrangement, including by allowing raids and prayers by ultranationalist Israelis inside the site without Palestinian consent.

The repeated incursions have given rise to fears that Israel may change the rules that have governed the site, allocating additional space to Jewish worshippers or extra time for Jewish prayers.

Though Israel’s chief rabbinate has long banned Jewish prayer in Al-Aqsa, which is believed to sit on the site of the Jewish temples destroyed in antiquity, ultranationalists have increasingly stormed the site and worshipped there with the backing of ministers such as Ben Gvir.

Jordan, the custodian of the holy site, said it considered Ben Gvir's visit a violation of the status quo agreement and "a desecration of its sanctity, a condemnable escalation and an unacceptable provocation".

The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said such actions could further destabilise the region.

Ben Gvir's spokesperson said the minister was seeking greater access and prayer permits for Jewish visitors. He also said that Ben Gvir had prayed at the site.