Netanyahu's Office Rejects Allegations Jews Will Be Allowed to Pray at Temple Mount
20240813
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Israel's policy regarding non-Muslim praying at Jerusalem's Temple Mount, which is one of Islam's holiest sites, has not changed, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a video address, posing against the backdrop of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount, that Israel was moving toward allowing Jews to pray at this holy site despite a long-held agreement to the contrary.
"There is no private policy of any minister - not the National Security Minister or any other minister - on the Temple Mount ... Israel's policy on the Temple Mount has not changed," Netanyahu's office wrote on X.
It is the Israeli government and the prime minister who determine Israel's policy on the Temple Mount, the office also said, adding that this morning's incident "deviated from the status quo."
Ben-Gvir, who is far-right and a frequent visitor to the Temple Mount, has repeatedly called on Jews to pray there, saying that he had given permission to do that "as a representative of the country's leadership." The previous incident involving Ben-Gvir took place on July 24.
The Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem is considered to be the third-holiest site for Muslims. Trips by Israeli officials to the Temple Mount have repeatedly drawn anger from Palestinians and criticism from Arab states. Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the site as tourists under the 1967 agreement, but they are banned from praying there.
© Sputnik
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