The European Union, the U.S. and the U.N. condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem by radical Israeli settlers and the far-right security minister under police protection.
"The EU strongly condemns the provocations by Israeli Min. Ben Gvir who, during his visit to the Holy Sites, advocated for the violation of the status quo," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on X.
On Tuesday morning, Ben Gvir and some 2,250 other Israelis walked through the compound in groups, singing Jewish hymns, under the protection of Israeli police, an official from the Waqf, the Jordanian body that is the custodian of the site, told AFP.
Ben Gvir, who has often defied the Israeli government's longstanding ban on Jewish prayer at the mosque compound, vowed to "defeat Hamas" in Gaza in a video he filmed during his visit.
While Jews and other non-Muslims are allowed to visit the mosque compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem during specified hours, they are not permitted to pray or display religious symbols.
The latest incident comes as the EU and other international powers are trying to calm tensions in the region as Iran warns of retaliation against Israel after the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran.
Borrell has in recent days condemned provocative comments on the war in Gaza by far-right Israeli ministers including Ben Gvir and said that the EU should consider imposing sanctions on them.
An EU official said that European Council President Charles Michel had held phone talks with the president of Iran and the prime minister of Israel since the weekend urging both sides to "exercise restraint."
The storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem by hundreds of radical Israelis is "unacceptable," the U.S. State Department said Tuesday.
"Let me just say clearly that the United States stands firmly for preservation of the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites of Jerusalem," deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said, adding that any unilateral action that threatens the status quo is unacceptable. He continued by saying that such actions hinder the goal for the region, which is a two-state solution.
The U.N. also stressed its firm stance against any actions that could alter the current status quo of holy sites, particularly the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Asked about Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir seeking revisions to the status quo, deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters that the U.N. is "against any efforts to change the status quo with the holy sites."
"Al-Aqsa Mosque, like the other holy sites in Jerusalem, should be left to themselves and should be controlled by the existing religious authorities for the sites," he said.
Haq characterized recent actions as "unhelpful" and "unduly provocative," stressing that such behavior could lead to further tensions in an already sensitive region.
Earlier Monday, some 2,250 illegal Israeli settlers as well as Ben-Gvir, his fellow Otzma Yehudit party Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, and Likud party lawmaker Amit Halevi stormed the Al-Aqsa complex in occupied East Jerusalem to commemorate Tisha B'Av, an annual Jewish fast day.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is considered the third-holiest site in Islam. Jews refer to the area as the Temple Mount, believing it to be the location of two ancient Jewish temples.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. In 1980, Israel annexed the entire city, a move that has never been recognized by the international community.
