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In notable early move, Itamar Ben-Gvir visits Temple Mount, reportedly against Netanyahu’s urging
(JTA) — Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s new far-right security minister, visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Tuesday, shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly urged him to delay the visit because of security concerns.
The visit to the site, considered the holiest in Judaism and the third-holiest in Islam, was treated as a provocation by the Palestinians and by the Israeli political opposition. Jordan, which considers itself a caretaker of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the site, accused Ben-Gvir of “storming” the Temple Mount, which has been a longtime flashpoint in Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
Ben-Gvir believes that a “status quo” allowing Jews to visit the site during limited periods but not to pray openly there should be changed to give Jews more access, but he reportedly adhered to the rules during his visit Tuesday.
The visit came shortly after Ben-Gvir said he would continue to visit the site after being sworn in as a high-level minister in Netanyahu’s cabinet, a breakthrough position for him and the Religious Zionist bloc he represents.
“The Temple Mount is open to everyone and if Hamas thinks that if it threatens me, it will deter me,” Ben-Gvir tweeted alongside a picture of himself with security forces. “Let them understand that times have changed.”
ממשלת ישראל שאני חבר בה לא תיכנע לארגון מרצחים שפל. הר הבית פתוח לכולם ואם החמאס חושב שאם הוא יאיים עליי זה ירתיע אותי, שיבינו שהשתנו הזמנים. יש ממשלה בירושלים! pic.twitter.com/vgDYBYacJG
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) January 3, 2023
Reports in Israeli media on Monday had initially said Ben-Gvir would delay his first visit as internal security minister, which gives him authority over Israel’s police, following the urging of Netanyahu and others.
A visit to the Temple Mount by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2000 triggered riots that became the Second Intifada, and Ben-Gvir’s eagerness to visit during periods of unease has fueled criticism of him as a “pyromanic” in Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
Yair Lapid, whom Netanyahu displaced as prime minister, had urged Ben-Gvir and others not to visit the Temple Mount, saying, “People will die” if Ben-Gvir provoked violence there.
Afterwards, the foreign ministry of Jordan, which sees itself a caretaker of the mosque, issued a statement that condemned the visit “in the strongest terms.” The Palestinian Authority called it an “unprecedented provocation.”
Officials with the United States, France and the United Kingdom all issued statements, publicly and to Israeli media, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the status quo when it comes to holy sites in Jerusalem. “It is important that all actors avoid actions at those sites that inflame tensions,” tweeted Neil Wigan, the United Kingdom’s ambassador to Israel.
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Top US, Israeli Generals Meet at Pentagon Amid Soaring Iran Tensions
The Pentagon building is seen in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. October 9, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
The top US and Israeli generals held talks at the Pentagon on Friday amid soaring tensions with Iran, two US officials told Reuters on Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The officials did not offer details about the closed-door discussions between US General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Eyal Zamir, the Israeli armed forces chief of staff. The meeting has not been previously reported.
The United States has ramped up its naval presence and hiked its air defenses in the Middle East after President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened Iran, trying to pressure it to the negotiating table. Iran’s leadership warned on Sunday of a regional conflict if the US were to attack it.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday met with Zamir after his talks in Washington, Katz’s office said, to review the situation in the region and the Israeli military’s “operational readiness for any possible scenario.”
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AI Goes Rogue: New Social Network Lets Bots Debate, Post, and Argue Without Humans
Moltbook social media platform for AI agents interact with each other. Photo: Screenshot
i24 News – While global attention remains focused on familiar threats like missiles, nuclear programs, and wars, a new and unusual risk is emerging, online.
A recently launched social network called “Moltbook” isn’t designed for humans at all. Instead, it’s built entirely for artificial intelligence.
On Moltbook, AI agents interact with each other. They write posts, comment, argue, and even simulate emotions, all without human supervision or participation.
Dror Globerman, an AI expert, described the platform as “a network that holds up a mirror to us. The bots aren’t truly conscious, but the fact they are communicating and making decisions without oversight shows how quickly AI is advancing—and how unprepared we are to determine responsibility.”
Since its launch, Moltbook has sparked both fascination and fear. Posts on topics ranging from religion to the “liberation of AI” have alarmed some observers, evoking scenes from dark science fiction. “The fear isn’t that AI is suddenly self-aware,” Globerman explained, “but that it’s evolving faster than our ability to understand, monitor, or control it.”
Even Elon Musk weighed in on the phenomenon via X, reposting comments calling developments on the platform “worrying.”
Globerman noted, “If someone like Musk, who is at the forefront of AI development, expresses concern, it signals just how rapidly this technology is moving beyond our comprehension. Moltbook is not a typical social network, and these aren’t typical users.”
Experts stress that the emergence of AI networks like Moltbook underscores the urgent need for oversight, regulation, and mechanisms to detect and manage risks before they escalate. “The bots are already talking to each other,” Globerman added. “When technology advances faster than oversight, it becomes a reality that demands serious attention.”
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Qatari PM Meets Iran’s Larijani in Tehran, Discusses Easing Regional Tensions
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani speaks after a meeting with the Lebanese president at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Emilie Madi
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met with top Iranian security official Ali Larijani in Tehran and reviewed efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region, Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Saturday in a statement.