Germany calls Ben-Gvir Al Aqsa storming a 'provocation'

Germany rejects unilateral steps that endanger the status quo on the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, said a foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday, calling a visit there by Israel's new far-right national security minister a provocation.

"We expect the new Israeli government to commit to a continuation of the tried and tested practice around the holy sites in Jerusalem and to put a stop to further deliberate provocations," said the spokesperson at a regular government news conference.

The extreme-right Israeli minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, stormed Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Tuesday, enraging Palestinians, while the United States warned of steps which may harm the status quo.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates were also among nations to condemn the storming.

The Palestinian foreign ministry called Ben-Gvir's attendance at the site a "serious threat", while Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh cast it as a bid to turn Al-Aqsa Mosque "into a Jewish temple".

Ben-Gvir's incursion at Al-Aqsa comes days after he took office as national security minister, with powers over the police, giving his decision to enter the highly sensitive site considerable weight.

(Reuters)