On the heels of a Jordanian statement calling Itamar Ben Gvir's visit an international crime, a Gaza-based militant group launched a rocket towards Israel Tuesday evening. The rocket, however, did not cross the fence and fell within the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the details and added that a red missile alert for the surrounding Israeli towns was not activated.
The attempted rocket attack comes after the terrorist organization, Hamas, announced to Egypt that it "will not stand idly by" if the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, ascends the Temple Mount. According to the report In the Lebanese "Al-Mayadeen" network, which is closely related to the Hezbollah organization, Hamas also said that "Ben Gvir's step will lead to an explosion” and "the Zionist occupation government will bear the consequences for that."
Gaza Rocket Attack Fizzles in Hamas Territory - @JewishPress - https://t.co/L4Y6nphJQO pic.twitter.com/2vUl9h9Ebz
— JewishPress.com (@JewishPress) January 3, 2023
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem released a statement immediately after Ben Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount. "The crime of the fascist Zionist minister Ben Gvir in attacking the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a continuation of the aggression of the Zionist occupation. The Al-Aqsa Mosque was and will remain Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic, and no fascist force or person can change this fact. The Palestinian people will continue to defend the holy places and Al-Aqsa Mosque, and this battle will not stop until the final victory of our people and the expulsion of the occupier from our land."
The Jordanian Hashemite Kingdom added fuel to the fire by incorrectly stating that "this is an unacceptable violation of international law and of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and the holy places. Israel bears full responsibility for the dangerous consequences of this escalation, which undermines all efforts made to prevent a violent escalation that threatens security and peace." There is no international law that prohibits Jews from ascending the Temple Mount. However, what is a violation of international agreements is the Jordanian Waqf's refusal to allow Jews to pray on the site, while not barring Christians or other religious denominations from doing so.
The rule to allow only Muslims to pray in Makkah is conditioned by the Holy #Quran however such condition doesn’t apply to the Temple Mount.
— Noor Dahri - نور ڈاہری 🇬🇧 (@dahrinoor2) January 4, 2023
Islam doesn’t forbid #Jews to worship at the Temple Mount but political agreement which is called “#StatusQuo”. 2/3
After Jordan retreated from Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria during the Six-Day War, Israel reunified Jerusalem and assumed administrative control over Judea and Samaria. In an act of good faith, hoping it would lead to peace, Israel invited Jordan to administer the Temple Mount complex where the Al Aqsa mosque lies. The agreement allowed for Israelis to be allowed to visit but it was only after the peace agreement with Jordan in 1994 that discussions on the logistics of these visits were discussed. Currently, Muslims can enter through 11 entrances to the complex whereas Jews are restricted to just one, between the hours of 7:30 AM-10:30 AM and 12:30 PM-1:30 PM, Sunday through Thursday.
The Hashemites were the historic keepers of the Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina. This made them the defacto rulers of Arabia since Muhammad's time. After the first World War, the Hashemites were overthrown by the Al-Saud clan and chased from Western Arabia. As an ally of the British who helped them defeat the Ottomans, Mandatory Palestine was parceled out and Transjordan was created for the Hashemites to rule. As their legacy was rooted in protecting the holy sites, Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque and Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs were placed under their protection, despite neither site being significant to Muslims prior to the early 1900s.
This agreement was made with King Abdullah's ancestor. When the Hashemites were relevant, they were willing to help Israel, but once they got their asses kicked in by Al-Saud @RHCJO went back on their word and forgot this agreement existed.
— Jay Engelmayer | Judea & Samaria Are In Israel (@jengelmayer) January 3, 2023
Is Jordan good for their word? https://t.co/KlUcySZCTN
After Israel's War of Independence, Jordan annexed Jerusalem's Old City, Judea, and Samaria and began to systematically destroy evidence of Israelite & Jewish presence on the land. From building an East Jerusalem neighborhood on top of the Mount of Olives where 3000 years of Jews had been buried to turning the Western Wall into a garbage dump and destroying 35 synagogues, the effort was methodical and deliberate. Since signing a peace deal with Israel, Jordan has often condemned Israel for inflaming tensions by exercising their sovereign right in Jerusalem. Israel could have stripped Jordan of Temple Mount administration but has yet to do so out of fear it would cause a massive uprising.
The rocket launch from Gaza is the first in over a month. In response to the last launch that was successful in reaching Israel, the IDF attacked targets of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Among the targets attacked by the Air Force was a workshop for the production of weapons, which served as a central site for the production of most of the rockets in the Gaza Strip, as well as a terrorist tunnel of the Hamas organization.
Confirmed 1-2 Rockets were launched from Central Gaza Strip they both failed to cross the Border and landed in the open area of the Gaza Strip.
— The_anonymous_wave (@anonymouswave1) January 4, 2023
No Israeli Alert was triggered.
Hamas has not officially taken responsibility for the rocket launch, likely due to its failure to reach Israel just a few miles away. According to the most recent IDF protocols in place since Ben Gvir’s Temple Mount ascension, no significant threats are currently feared.
