During the celebration of Sukkot, a Jewish holiday which began on Oct. 6 and is dedicated to giving thanks for the harvest, Greater Israel zealot Itamar Ben-Gvir made a disruptive visit to the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa mosque compound, and subsequently released a video of his visit. As Sukkot also commemorates the survival of 40 years in the desert following the Exodus from Egypt led by Moses, Ben-Gvir’s presence on the Mount was a highly symbolic provocation, as his comments make clear the intent of his and his radical Zionist cult is to “liberate” that land from the Palestinians and incorporate it as part of Greater Israel.
The Mount is a site of contention between Muslims and Jews, as it is a holy site for both. Jewish prayer on the site is restricted, and Ben-Gvir’s loud praying was considered a provocation. More problematic was the message in his video. He said: “Two years after the terrible [Oct. 7, 2023] massacre, we are winning here at the Temple Mount … we are prevailing here. We are the owners of the Temple Mount.... I only pray that our prime minister will allow full victory in Gaza as well, to destroy Hamas, God willing, return the hostages, and achieve a total victory,” Ben-Gvir added.
Knesset member Gilad Kariv denounced Ben-Gvir’s “pompous visit,” saying it was “designed to sabotage hostage negotiations.” Haaretz columnist Amos Harel added that he believes Ben-Gvir’s intent is to undermine the cease-fire deal, pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump and under discussion by Israeli and Hamas negotiators..
