Israeli, Palestinian envoys spar at UN over Al-Aqsa visit

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, called the session ‘pathetic and absurd’ while the Palestinian envoy accused the Jewish state of acting ‘with absolute contempt’

Israeli and Palestinian envoys to the United Nations on Thursday traded heated barbs at a Security Council meeting over the controversial visit by an Israeli minister to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, called the session "pathetic" and "absurd" while the Palestinian envoy accused the Jewish state of acting "with absolute contempt."

The 15-member Council discussed the visit, which has enraged Palestinians, at UN headquarters in New York following a request by the UAE and China.

Ahead of the session, Israel's permanent representative to the world body, Gilad Erdan, told reporters there was "absolutely no reason" for the meeting to be held.

"To hold a Security Council session on a non-event is truly absurd," he said.

Tuesday's visit by Israel's new National Security Minister, firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir, sparked a wave of international condemnation, including from the U.S., a longstanding ally of Israel.

Al-Aqsa mosque lies in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and is the third-holiest site in Islam. It is the most sacred place to Jews, who refer to it as Temple Mount.