Ben-Gvir names Israeli officer who challenged Al-Aqsa status quo as new Jerusalem chief

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has appointed an officer who has taken radical steps to change the status quo of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as the new Jerusalem police chief, in a series of steps taken this week designed to crush Palestinian dissent in the occupied territory.

Amir Arzani's role as head as Jerusalem District's police chief was made permanent this week, after a spell as acting head, and was promoted from brigadier general to major general in the process, Haaretz reported.

Arzani is a hugely controversial figure in the Israeli police establishment, having previously been banned from promotion over a major internal scandal regarding allegedly doctored evidence.

Recently, he has faced huge criticism over his decision to allow Israeli far-right activists to pray aloud, read Torah, and sing at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound - the third holiest site in Islam - something that contravenes a long-standing agreement with Jordan that bans Jewish rituals at the site and would have previously seen the law-breakers arrested.

Israel said it would recognise the status quo and Muslim character of Al-Aqsa - which is a symbol of Palestinian national identity - when it seized East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordanian forces in 1967.

But some Israeli far-right activists claim Al-Aqsa is built on the site of an ancient Jerusalem temple and have worked hard to change the status of the compound with regular raids and Jewish prayers at the complex. These efforts have increased significantly since Ben-Gvir became minister in 2022.

Ben-Gvir, a settler activist who was banned from serving in the Israeli military due to his previous conviction for extremism, has worked hard to change the status quo of the compound as National Security Minister. Last month, he said he wants a Jewish synagogue constructed at Al-Aqsa, leading to international outrage.

He has made a series of provocative visits to the Al-Aqsa as minister, leading to outrage from Israel's strongest regional allies, such as the UAE.

It has also led to a diplomatic crisis with neighbouring Jordan, which is custodian of Jerusalem's holy sites.

Other steps taken by Ben-Gvir this week appear to show how he was using his position as Israel's national security chief to strengthen settlement activity in the West Bank - long seen as tools for maintaining Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territory.

Brig. Gen. Moshe Pinchi will now serve as police chief of the 'West Bank District', which will give Ben-Gvir full control over the territory, illegally occupied by Israel since 1967.

Haaretz has described Pinchi as Ben-Gvir's "yes man" who has used his police powers to not prosecute far-right activists who raided an Israeli army base following the arrest of soldiers on allegations of raping and torturing Palestinian detainees.