Washington:
The United States on Tuesday expressed concern over the visit of a far-right minister in Israel’s new government to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, sacred to both Jews and Muslims, and warned against any change in the status quo.
“The United States stands firm … in preserving the status quo with regard to holy sites in Jerusalem,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
“Any unilateral action that jeopardizes the status quo is unacceptable.”
State Department spokesman Ned Price said separately that the United States was “deeply concerned” by the visit of Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has a history of inflammatory statements and was given a key security position in Prime Minister Benjamin’s latest administration Netanyahu.
“This visit has the potential to exacerbate tensions and provoke violence,” Price said of the visit widely condemned in the Islamic world.
Price said the United States “has direct talks today with representatives of the Prime Minister’s office about this visit.”
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