Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Sunday visited the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem as tension remained high following five days of fighting with militants in Gaza.
“We are in charge here,” Mr Ben-Gvir was quoted by Israel media as saying on his tour of the site, holy to Jews and Muslims.
The visit came eight days after Israel and militants in Gaza, supported by Iran, agreed to a truce that halted cross-border attacks by the two sides.
Among the dead were three commanders of Islamic Jihad, which also has offices in Damascus.
Israeli actions against Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank have accelerated since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took power in December.
Mr Ben-Gvir described the compound as “the most important place for the Jewish people”. The site is mostly administered by Palestinian staff employed by the the Jordanian religious affairs ministry.
The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Israeli authorities to halt escalation and avoid exacerbating tension and instability in the region.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry condemned the visit as a "provocation against the feelings of Muslims."
It said the kingdom "holds Israel responsible for the impact of these transgressions."
In Amman, Jordan's foreign ministry spokesman Sinan Al Majali said the visit was “a dangerous escalation", describing the compound as "purely a Muslim place of worship".
Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 and claims custodianship of the Al Aqsa, one of the holiest sites in Islam.
It was the second visit by Mr Ben-Gvir to the disputed site in occupied East Jerusalem since January.
Mr Ben-Gvir's first visit prompted a meeting of the UN Security Council. A UN official said at the session that the visit was “inflammatory”.
On Thursday, thousands of people carrying Israeli flags marched in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City to celebrate the capture of East Jerusalem in 1967. Israel captured the West Bank at the same time.
They marched into the walled city through Damascus Gate, the main entrance to the Muslim Quarter, as Palestinians closed their shops and were banned from the gate, to make way for the marchers. Some of the marchers attacked journalists with rocks and bottles, according to Agence France-Presse.
Israeli police said they made two arrests over the attack, one of an adult and one of a child.
In 2021, a similar march, as well as tension related to Al Aqsa, led to an 11-day war between Israel and militant group Hamas, the most powerful Palestinian faction in Gaza.
The confrontation resulted in the deaths of 260 Palestinians, mostly in Gaza, and 12 Israelis.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
TRAP
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
