On video: Ben Gvir ascended the Temple Mount: "We will not surrender to a terrorist organization" (Walla system!)
The wave of condemnations that came from Amman, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and other Arab cities following the 13-minute visit of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gabir to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound showed how little political credit the new right-wing government has and how much Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition partners are pressing on the most sensitive points for the Arab and Western world.
why is it important:
One of the main goals that Netanyahu publicly stated upon taking office was the expansion of the Abraham Accords and the achievement of a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Such an agreement would almost completely end the Israeli-Arab conflict and perhaps help promote a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Minister of National Security at the Temple Mount, today (photo: official website, Temple Mount Administration)
At the beginning of the cabinet meeting this morning, Netanyahu criticized his predecessor in office, Yair Lapid, who he claimed failed to expand the Abraham Accords.
The angry messages that many Arab countries published today showed that Ben Gabir's agenda threatens to sabotage Netanyahu's plans to reach a breakthrough with Saudi Arabia.
In the news center:
The one who led the wave of condemnations was Jordan, who even summoned the Israeli ambassador for a reprimand.
The Jordanians claimed that Ben Gabir's visit was a violation of the status quo in the holy places in Jerusalem.
Although this is a false claim, the rest of the Arab world backed the Jordanians.
The one at the head of the backing camp for Jordan was the United Arab Emirates, which Netanyahu planned to visit next week.
At this point there is no evidence that the postponement of the visit is related to the events in Jerusalem, although they must not have been helpful.
It seems that the reason has more to do with the desire of Netanyahu or a member of his family to spend one night in Abu Dhabi, which necessitates more massive security arrangements.
Condemnations from all sides - even though the status quo was not violated.
Netanyahu (Photo: Roni Knafo)
The Saudi condemnation was relatively swift.
The Saudis are the leaders of the Sunni Muslim world and any damage to Al-Aqsa Mosque, even if only symbolic, is something they must rise up against.
This is doubly true when the narrative in Israel, the region and the world is that a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel is not a question of if but of when.
The sharp Saudi and Arab reaction to Ben Gabir's very calm visit to the Temple Mount is a signal of the very limited room for maneuver that the Arab countries have when it comes to dealing with the right-wing Israeli government.
Any worsening of tensions or escalation on the ground will only oblige them to cool their relations with Israel.
The big picture:
The White House was shocked when they reviewed the coalition agreements.
But they drew great encouragement from one section of the government's basic guidelines that talked about preserving the status quo in the holy places.
Although the words were not explicitly written, they saw it as a commitment by Netanyahu not to allow provocations on the Temple Mount.
When the news that Ben Gvir was planning to visit the Temple Mount was published on Sunday on the public broadcasting corporation "Kan", the American government was horrified.
Senior officials in the Biden administration expressed concern in the ears of senior officials in the Israeli government about Ben Gabir's visit to the Temple Mount, but were met with messages of reassurance in response.
The agreement is not a question of if, but of when.
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Bin Salman (Photo: Reuters)
Therefore, the American reaction was also very sharp and relatively quick.
The Americans realized that Netanyahu is not really with his hands on the wheel.
US Ambassador to Israel Tom Neides published a response to the visit from which it emerged that the administration does not agree with Netanyahu's claim that the visit is not a violation of the status quo.
Senior officials in the White House reinforced this trend when they mentioned Netanyahu's written commitment in the coalition agreements and hinted that they believe that the visit is a big deal It is a violation of that commitment and a violation of the status quo.
What next:
The reactions from Washington and other capitals in the West showed that even here the right-wing government is in a significant deficit in terms of political credit.
The international community will continue to examine every move of the government with a magnifying glass and anything that is considered the smallest deviation will be criticized and condemned.
In about two weeks, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will arrive in Israel.
This will be the first significant meeting between a senior member of the Biden administration and the new government.
Sullivan will clarify that the Biden administration is ready to work with Israel to contain Iran and achieve a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia, but this will not happen if Netanyahu and his government take steps such as Ben Gabir's visit to the Temple Mount.
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Benjamin Netanyahu
Saudi Arabia
Itamar Ben Gabir
