Paris on Wednesday, January 4, expressed its “concerns” following Tuesday’s brief visit by new Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir to the Esplanade of Mosques in East Jerusalem, a sacred site in the heart of the Israeli- Palestinian tensions .
“France reiterates its concerns,” the State Department said in a statement the day after other similar statements, notably from the United States and Germany. “It is a reminder of the need to preserve the historical status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem and underscores the importance of Jordan’s special role in this regard,” he said. “It will condemn any attempt to challenge it and takes note of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s pledge to uphold it.”
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demands peace
Itamar Ben Gvir, a figure on the Israeli extreme right, was accompanied on his visit by members of the Israeli security forces. The Esplanade of Mosques, the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest site in Judaism, known as “Temple Mount”, is located in the Old City of Jerusalem, in the Palestinian sector occupied and annexed by Israel.
Under a historical status quo, non-Muslims can visit the site at certain times, but cannot pray there. In recent years, however, increasing numbers of Jews, often nationalists, are secretly praying there, a gesture denounced as a “provocation” by the Palestinians and several countries in the Middle East.
“France also stresses the urgency to stop settlement policies that endanger the implementation of a two-state solution living side-by-side in peace and security with Jerusalem as its capital,” the Quai d’Orsay said. “It is the only solution that can bring Israelis and Palestinians a just and lasting peace.”