The White House will not accept measures that threaten Jerusalem’s status

The White House said it would not accept unilateral measures threatening the status quo in Jerusalem, commenting on Israel’s Minister of Internal Security, Itmar Benghafir, storming Al-Aqsa Mosque earlier today.

“The United States stands firm while maintaining the status quo of Jerusalem’s holy sites,” White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre said during the daily press conference.

“We will not accept any unilateral actions that threaten the status quo in Jerusalem.”

US State Department spokesman Ned Price went in the same vein and stated earlier that his country had made direct contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Ben Gafir’s incursion into al-Aqsa.

“I can confirm that we have had direct contacts with Netanyahu’s office and we have been clear on our date.”

This morning, Israeli Minister of Internal Security Itmar Ben-Ghafir stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque amid a large security deployment in the Old City of Al-Qud, and at the mosque’s doors.

This is not the first time Ben Ghafir has broken into the Al-Aqsa Mosque but previously did so in his personal capacity and then as a deputy in the Knesset.

Bin Ghafir’s move was widely condemned by Arabs.

The League of Arab States condemned “in the strongest terms” the incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque by Ben Ghaffair “and its desecration of the mosque’s sanctity this morning.”