WASHINGTON, May 22, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - The United States said Sunday it was "concerned by today's provocative visit" by Israel's right-wing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.

"This holy space should not be used for political purposes, and we call on all parties to respect its sanctity," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Ben-Gvir's visit came three days after he and tens of thousands of Jewish nationalists marched through the Old City and just over a week into a fragile Gaza ceasefire.