Jordan has hit back hard at Israel after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday, waving an Israeli flag in front of the Dome of the Rock during the annual Jerusalem Day Flag March. Amman blasted the move as a “blatant violation of international law” and warned of dangerous consequences for the entire region.
Jordan Calls Storming a Breach of International Law
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry came out swinging on Thursday, condemning the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif by Israel’s far-right minister.
The ministry said the violations constitute a flagrant breach of international law, an unacceptable provocation, and a serious violation of the historical and legal status quo, stressing that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Fouad Al-Majali said extremist settlers raised Israeli flags inside the compound under the protection of Israeli police and prevented worshippers from accessing the site.
Majali warned that the actions were aimed at imposing “new realities” at the holy site and dividing it temporally and spatially.
He urged the international community to take a firm stand and force Israel, as the occupying power, to halt the violations.
Ben-Gvir Waves Flag, Declares ‘Temple Mount Is Ours’
Footage from inside the compound showed Ben-Gvir hoisting a large Israeli flag and declaring the site was “in our hands.”
He echoed the words of Mordechai (Motta) Gur, commander of the 55th Paratroopers Brigade, after Israeli forces in 1967 entered the Old City and placed it under Jewish control for the first time since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.
His flag display broke long-standing norms against such gestures at the deeply sensitive site.
Standing right beside him was Otzma Yehudit lawmaker Yitzhak Kroizer. In a Facebook post later in the day, Kroizer said it was time to remove the mosque and build a Third Jewish temple in its place.
An official from the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem said 620 Israeli occupiers stormed the mosque compound under police protection.
A day earlier, Wasserlauf said that Itamar Ben-Gvir, a prominent settler and Israel’s far-right national security minister, is leading a “revolution” at the site.
Since taking office in 2023, he has stormed the place at least 15 times, sparking anger and condemnation.
‘Death to Arabs’ Chants Sweep Old City Flag March
Tens of thousands of ultra-nationalist Israelis swept through the Old City of Jerusalem to mark Jerusalem Day, which celebrates Israel’s military capture of East Jerusalem during the 1967 war.
The annual route cuts straight through the Muslim Quarter before ending at the Western Wall.
Tens of thousands of ultra-nationalist Israeli youths marched through the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday with cries of “Death to Arabs” and “May your villages burn” during the nationalist Flag March, while far-right politicians raised the Israeli flag on the Temple Mount and called to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and rebuild the Temple as they marked Jerusalem Day.
Some groups were even heard chanting “Muhammad is dead,” in reference to the Muslim prophet and founder of Islam.
Police said they arrested 13 suspects involved in altercations and violence over the course of the day, claiming such incidents were “isolated.”
The group Rabbis for Human Rights said its contingent was assaulted by right-wing extremists who threw water bottles at them while yelling slurs. It posted a video showing police officers repelling its delegation, including Rabbi Jill Jacobs, head of the U.S. group T’ruah, from the Old City.
Palestinian shopkeepers shut their stores and emptied the Old City long before the march even began.
“If I don’t want to get attacked, I have to close,” said Fadi, a 48-year-old shopkeeper, as he pulled a table inside and began lowering his metal shutter.
Saudi Arabia Joins Backlash as Status Quo at Risk
Saudi Arabia quickly joined Jordan in firing back at Israel. The Foreign Ministry said the Kingdom denounced “repeated provocative practices carried out by officials of the Israeli occupation authorities” against the mosque, “most recently the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by an official from the Israeli occupation authorities, under the protection of occupation police, as well as another official raising the flag of the occupation authorities within the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Here are the key facts on the disputed compound at the heart of the row:
- Total area: 144 dunums (14.4 hectares) in occupied East Jerusalem
- Status: Third holiest site in Islam, also the most sacred place in Judaism
- Legal authority: Jerusalem Awqaf Department under Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf
- Worship rules: Muslim prayer only under the status quo in place since 1967
- Recent trend: Israeli police under Ben-Gvir’s ministry have increasingly tolerated Jewish prayer there
Majali reiterated that the entire 144-dunum area of Al-Aqsa Mosque is an exclusive place of worship for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Awqaf Department affiliated with Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs is the sole legal authority responsible for managing the mosque and regulating entry to it.
Though Jews are ostensibly barred from praying at the site, the Israeli police, under the auspices of Ben Gvir, have increasingly tolerated prayer there, sparking repeated condemnations from Arab countries.
The escalation lands at a deeply fragile moment, with tensions that are rife in the city after two and a half years of near-constant war and fragile ceasefires. Analysts warn that any spark at Al-Aqsa can quickly explode into wider regional violence.
The storming has once again pushed Jerusalem to a boiling point at a time when the wider region is barely clinging to shaky truces. For millions of Muslims worldwide, the sight of an Israeli flag waving inside Al-Aqsa is not just a political move but a deep wound to faith and identity. The world is watching what comes next, and so are the streets of Amman, Riyadh, Ramallah and beyond. Share your thoughts in the comments and tell us how you feel about the events unfolding at Al-Aqsa.
