JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- A far-right Israeli Knesset member attempted to enter the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on Monday, a local foundation said.

Likud's Moshe Feiglin, surrounded by an Israeli police escort, attempted to enter the 7th century mosque but was stopped by Al-Aqsa guards and students, the Al-Aqsa Foundation said.

The group slammed the right-wing politician's actions as deliberately provocative and the site was closed to visitors following the incident.

During the recent Israeli election campaign, Feiglin proposed that Israel should pay Palestinian families to leave the West Bank, calling it a "perfect solution for us."

The controversial Likud MK has also stated in the past that Palestinians in Israel should be relocated and that there is no such thing as a Palestinian people.

In 1995, Israeli media quoted Feiglin as expressing admiration for Hitler, calling him "an unparalleled military genius" who "savored good music," AFP reported.

Feiglin won a seat in the Israeli Knesset for the first time in recent elections.

The Jerusalem compound, containing the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, is the third holiest site in Islam and abuts the site where Jews believe the ancient Second Temple stood.