The War Cabinet will vote to remove the authority to restrict Muslim access to the Temple Mount during the month of Ramadan from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Channel 12 News reported.
According to the report, Ministers Gantz, Eisenkot and Gallant put pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu - and demanded that Ben-Gvir not participate in decisions on the Temple Mount. "In such an explosive issue, there is no place for outside and political considerations," the three clarified.
It was also reported that the War Cabinet is expected to decide, contrary to the position of the National Security Minister, that sweeping restrictions will not be imposed on the entry of Israeli Arabs to the Temple Mount and that the police will determine a quota of worshipers based on capacity and safety considerations only. In the first phase, 50-60,000 worshipers will be allowed to enter the Temple Mount, and later it may be even more.
The cabinet ministers' decision to revoke Ben-Gvir's authority on the sensitive issue came after a warning from officers in the police command staff, according to which, if Ben-Gvir's demands to restrict Arab worshipers are implemented - it could lead to a flare-up in Jerusalem and the cities involved.
In an official response, the police came out against the officers who warned about the issue. "We regret hat on a sensitive and complex issue that is being discussed in classified discussions at the political level and on which no decisions have yet been made, there are elements that voice positions that are not clear on what they are based on and that have the purpose of harming the process and inflaming tensions. We emphasize that the Israel Police will present its official positions to the political level and not through the media, and will continue to do everything in its power to maintain the balance between freedom of worship and public peace and security."
Ben-Gvir responded: "I expect the Prime Minister to deny the report according to which on the Temple Mount issue he decided to follow Benny Gantz's concept that peace is bought by submission to terrorism, and on the intention to transfer the powers held by the Minister of National Security to the 'conceptzia' cabinet."