Minister Tzahi Hanegbi referred Wednesday to the decision prohibiting Knesset members from ascending the Temple Mount.
During the course of a Knesset question and answer session, Hanegbi was asked by MK Yehuda Glick (Likud) why MKs are still prohibited from ascending to Temple Mount. Hanegbi answered that he had taken the decision to open the Temple Mount in 2003 but at that point public figures were prohibited from ascending Temple Mount since "there are public figures who wish to escalate the situation on the Mount."
Hanegbi added that "the quiet is jarring for some people. Our goal is to preserve the Mount as a property of the entire world. MK Glick submitted a petition to the court and the state's response will be given during the legal procedure."
Glick also asked Hanegbi whether the government had asked the US administration not to transfer the US embassy to Jerusalem.
Hanegbi responded by saying: "Do you accept every [news] report and assume it is fact? You need to have some perspective. This is ridiculous and intended to harm the government. You [as a Likud MK} are not supposed to harm the government. This report is totally untrue. For 3000 years Jerusalem has been our eternal capital and it will continue to be our capital. We want all countries to transfer their embassies to Jerusalem.'