Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir announced today, Wednesday, that he will continue his incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, in defiance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who pledged to the King of Jordan to preserve the status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, while the Israeli government intends to approve plans for thousands of settlement units in occupied West Bank.

Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right "Jewish Greatness" party, said in an interview with Israel Radio, "With all due respect to the King of Jordan, Israel is an independent state. I climbed the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa Mosque), and I will continue to do so."

Ben Gvir had previously stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on the third of January, which led to Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic condemnation and international criticism.

Ben Gvir's remarks came one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the capital, Amman.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office did not mention the Al-Aqsa Mosque issue in the statement it issued on Tuesday after the meeting between the king and Netanyahu, which was not announced in advance.

But the Israel Broadcasting Corporation said, "It seems that Netanyahu promised to maintain the status quo in the holy sites."

The Jordanian Royal Court said, in a statement after the meeting, that the King of Jordan stressed the need to respect the historical and legal status quo in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and not to prejudice it.

settlement projects

In a related context, "Israel Today" newspaper revealed that the far-right government - headed by Benjamin Netanyahu - intends to approve plans to build 18,000 new settlement housing units in the West Bank during the next few months.

The pro-right newspaper added that the current government is preparing to approve thousands of plans to build new settlement units that the previous government - headed by the duo Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett - had stopped during a year and a half of its rule.

The newspaper confirmed that the Netanyahu government intends to hold an immediate conference of the Supreme Council for Planning and Building in the West Bank to approve thousands of plans and start implementing them.

This comes while US State Department spokesman Ned Price called on Israel to refrain from any unilateral measures that undermine the two-state solution, including land confiscation, settlement construction and home demolitions.

He also expressed his country's concern about the repercussions of the Israeli measures on Palestinian civil society organizations, despite the recent amendments.

Data from the Israeli human rights movement "Peace Now" indicate that there are about 666,000 settlers, 145 large settlements, and 140 random outposts (unlicensed by the Israeli government) in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

International law considers the West Bank and East Jerusalem occupied territory, and all settlement construction there is illegal.