U.N. Security Council members stress Al Aqsa mosque status quo

Gilad Erdan, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations speaks during a U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss recent developments at the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar

U.N. Security Council members voiced concern on Thursday and stressed the need to maintain a status quo at the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, days after Israel's new far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir briefly visited the site.

The decades-old status quo allows only Muslim worship at the compound, a site also revered by Jews, who call it the Temple Mount. An Israeli official said Ben-Gvir complied with the arrangement that allows non-Muslims to visit but not pray.