Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Sunday accused Palestinian terrorist groups of trying to "hijack" the al-Aqsa Mosque to stir violence in Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan that would spill over to the rest of the country.
"In the past three weeks, there has been a dangerous effort underway in Jerusalem during Ramadan. Terrorist organizations have been trying to hijack the al-Aqsa Mosque in order to create an outbreak of violence in Jerusalem, and from there, a violent conflict across the country," Lapid told foreign media in a press briefing in his Jerusalem ministry.
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Foreign Minister Yair Lapid briefs foreign reporters on Temple Mount riots in his Jerusalem ministry
(Photo: GPO)
"Hamas and Islamic Jihad extremists burst into [the] al-Aqsa Mosque in the mornings again and again. They brought weapons into the mosque, they through rocks and explosives from within it, and used it as a base to incite violent riots.
If we had not removed these rioters, it would have been a disaster. If you do not immediately remove the rioters at the start, it leads to much greater violence later. The moment the rioters were removed, the police left and ensured prayers were taking place in peace."
Lapid's government has come under fire from Palestinians, allied Muslim countries and its own Muslim coalition partners for its handling of the volatile situation at the Jerusalem flashpoint after weeks of violent clashes between rioters and Israeli police.
In footage shared on social media, Israeli officers could be seen deploying riot control measures against big crowds during the skirmishes. Lapid said the videos were edited and part of an "unbelievable" amount of fake news targeting Israel.
Lapid also insisted that Israel is committed to maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount.
Only Muslims are allowed to pray on the Temple Mount, while non-Muslims are only allowed to visit. However, Muslims claim that some Jews do pray at the site in practice.
“Israel is committed to the status quo on the Temple Mount,” he said. “Muslims pray on the Temple Mount, non-Muslims only visit. There is no change, there will be no change.”
In line with that policy, Lapid asserted that the police are instructed to prevent Jewish prayer at the compound despite feeling uneasy about abridging Jews' freedom of worship in the Jewish state.
“By the way, I don’t feel comfortable with the idea that Jews do not have freedom of religion in the State of Israel and that Jews are banned from the site,” Lapid said.