Outrage erupts over Netanyahu’s tunnel visit under Al Aqsa Mosque

Dubai: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, currently wanted by the International Criminal Court, released a video on Monday showing himself walking through a massive underground tunnel dug beneath the Al Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites, in a highly controversial move that has triggered regional condemnation.

The tunnel, which reportedly stretches from the neighbourhood of Silwan to the area directly underneath Al Aqsa, has long been a focal point of tension in Jerusalem.

In his address, delivered from inside the tunnel, Netanyahu declared that “Jerusalem will remain Israel’s eternal capital” and vowed to urge other nations to recognize it as such and relocate their embassies.

The video was released on the 58th anniversary of Israel’s 1967 occupation of East Jerusalem, and many observers interpreted the timing and the location as a deliberate and provocative message.

The video was released as Israeli settlers, under heavy military protection, staged large-scale incursions into the Al Aqsa compound, with more than 2,090 individuals documented by the Islamic Waqf as having entered the site in a single day.

Among them were senior Israeli officials, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Negev and Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, and multiple members of the Knesset from the Likud, Jewish Power, and Religious Zionism parties.

The provocations extended into the streets. In Bab Al Amoud (Damascus Gate), hundreds of Israeli nationalists took part in the annual “Flag March”, waving Israeli flags, performing choreographed dances, and chanting inflammatory slogans such as “Death to Arabs” and “Flatten Gaza.”

Several participants carried banners with slogans like “Jerusalem is ours since 1967” and “Gaza will be ours in 2025,” further fueling concerns about expanding territorial ambitions.

The move has ignited anger across the Arab world, though the reaction has thus far been limited to statements of condemnation. Activists criticized what they called a shameful silence from international and regional actors, arguing that the lack of meaningful response has emboldened Israel to escalate its activities in occupied East Jerusalem.

 -- Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE