Israel’s far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has said Jewish people are allowed to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a statement that goes against a decades-long policy.

“I am in the political echelon, and the political echelon allows Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount,” he said in a speech at a convention encouraging Jewish visits to the holy site.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement said Ben-Gvir’s comments were a “recipe for bloodshed” and called on Palestinians to continue defending their nation’s holy places.

Located in occupied East Jerusalem (al-Quds), the Al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is a recurring flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Since 1967 the Waqf – a Jordanian-appointed body – administers the site while Israel has “security” control. Under the agreement, only Muslims are permitted to pray there, and visits from non-Muslims are only allowed at specific times.