Barred by the Prime Minister from approaching Jerusalem's Damascus Gate during Wednesday's aborted Flag March, Religious Zionism MK Itamar Ben Gvir has opened a parliamentary office nearby, at Tzahal Square, just minutes away from the Old City walls and Damascus Gate itself.
"I'm not going to back down," Ben Gvir said, adding that he will be remaining at his new "office" throughout the coming night.
On Wednesday afternoon, after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that Ben Gvir would not be permitted to approach the flashpoint area, Ben Gvir was defiant, asserting that he "would not take orders from Bennett, [Public Security Minister Omer] Barlev, or the Shura Council." He later arrived at Safra Square, a short distance from the Old City walls, and declared himself determined to accompany the several hundred marchers to Damascus Gate and onward.
Police, however, were adamant that he would do no such thing, noting that the Knesset member's parliamentary immunity did not permit him to go wherever he wished, as Ben Gvir claimed. Police also set up squad cars and trucks between Safra Square and the Old City, preventing the marchers from advancing. Those who succeeded in breaking through were arrested. Others proceeded via Jaffa Gate to the Western Wall.
At one point, Ben Gvir approached the local police commander, demanding to see the official order barring him from Damascus Gate. According to him, he has yet to see any such document; nonetheless, he ultimately backed down and agreed to comply with an order he said he had only learned of via the media.
As of Wednesday evening, Ben Gvir has set up a temporary parliamentary office at Tzahal Square, just a few hundred yards from Damascus Gate.
"While Raed Salah [the head of the Islamic Movement] and [MK] Ahmad Tibi are free to head to Damascus Gate, I am prevented from approaching it," Ben Gvir said.