Terror Groups Threaten Following Ben-Gvir’s Planned Visit to Har HaBayis

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Sunday that he plans to visit Har HaBayis this week, and his office had contacted the Israel Police last week to announce the minister’s intention.

This will be the first time that Ben-Gvir will visit Har HaBayis as a minister in the newly formed government and the first time in five years that a sitting minister will visit Har HaBayis.

A hearing within the police on the matter is expected to take place on Monday, in which Police Chief Kobi Shabtai will also take part.

At the moment, Ben-Gvir is planning to hold the visit either on Tuesday, Asarah B’Teves, or on Wednesday. It is possible that after news of the planned visit broke, Ben-Gvir will decide to postpone it, Kan News reported.

According to Ynet, Ben Gvir has subsequently said he won’t make the visit in the coming weeks, but told Netanyahu “we mustn’t cave to Hamas” after the terror group issued its threats.

The Walla news site quotes Ben Gvir’s associates saying he is still determined to make the visit soon, and that Netanyahu didn’t ask him to scrap the plan entirely.

Hamas threatened on Monday that Ben-Gvir’s planned visit to Har HaBayis “will lead to an escalation of the situation.”

The terrorist organization delivered messages to Egypt and the United Nations against Ben-Gvir’s intentions and warned that they “will not stand idly by,” according to a report on the al-Mayadeen channel, which quoted Palestinian sources.

The Islamic Jihad also lashed out at Ben-Gvir’s planned visit and said that the “crimes” committed by the IDF on Sunday night in the Jenin area were the result of his threats.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid warned that if Ben Gvir goes through with it, “People will die.’”

“Itamar Ben Gvir must not go up to Har Habayit,” Lapid said at his Yesh Atid party’s weekly Knesset meeting. “It is a deliberate provocation that will put lives in danger and cost lives.”

He called on Netanyahu that “weak though he is, he must, this time, stand up and tell him, ‘You are not going…”.

In response to a reporter’s question about the practice of allowing MKs to visit the site, Lapid said:

“MKs go up,  ministers don’t — especially not the minister in charge of the National Security Ministry. It will be viewed by the whole world as breaking the status quo, even if it’s not.”

According to leading Poskim, it is unequivocally forbidden to enter Har HaBayis in our time.