Escorted by tight security, Tzipi Hotovely, Knesset member for Israel's right-wing Likud Party, entered the grounds of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday afternoon accompanied by her cousins and a handful of Jewish rabbis.

A statement issued by the Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage said that Hotovely had coordinated her entry into the flashpoint area with Israeli police.

The MK justified her actions by saying that she had wanted to visit the Temple Mount – considered a holy site for Jews – on the eve of her wedding.

She went on to say it was imperative that Jews enjoy easy access to the site, levelling criticism at Israeli police for preventing high-profile Israeli figures from entering the mosque compound.

Israeli occupation forces earlier on Sunday demolished the home of 37-year-old Palestinian Rushdie Ghaith in East Jerusalem's Tur district, despite an Israeli court order postponing the demolition until September.