Culture Minister Miri Regev (Likud) dismissed reports that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is considering removing the metal detectors from the Temple Mount over the opposition of the Muslim Waqf and the Palestinian authority to the new security measures.
"Any rumors concerning changing the status of the metal detectors are false and one sided" Regev wrote on her Facebook page. "The metal detectors were installed to guard the sanctity of life from those who sanctify death, and exploit a holy place to incite and murder."
"The Prime Minister's decision is an important step, and I am confident that it won't change." she continued. "These are security arrangements that exist in places all over the world, including the Western Wall, and the Great Mosque in Mecca. The Temple Mount is not, and will not become, the wild west."
Regev responded to earlier reports by Channel 2 that Netanyahu was consulting with senior security officials about whether to keep the current security arrangements in place. According to the reports, the Shin Bet opposed the installation of the metal detectors and argued that they were unnecessary, while the Police contended that they are a vital component in preventing terrorism at the holy site.
The Prime Minister's Office denied that Netanyahu was reconsidering the new security directives, calling any reports to the contrary "a distortion of the facts."
The decision to install the metal detectors was made following the deadly terrorist attack last Friday on the Temple Mount that killed policemen Hail Stawi and Kamil Shanan. According to numerous reports, the weapons were hidden inside the Temple Mount prior to the attack.
The Muslim Waqf, which administers the site, strongly opposes the metal detectors, vowing to boycott the Temple Mount and calling for a 'Day of Rage.'