Housing Minister Uri Ariel criticized, Tuesday morning, the decision to close the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City to Jews. He said, in a statement, "Closing the Mount this morning is an unprecedented and outrageous violation of an explicit commitment of the Israel Police."
Ariel continued, "It is inconceivable that a sovereign state buckle down to threats instead of acting against them, while violating of the most basic rights of ordinary citizens. I intend to contact the public security minister urgently in order to get clarification on the above serious incident, and I now demand that the police immediately open the Mount."