The Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir expressed sharp criticism of the closure of the Temple Mount to Jews during the last ten days of Ramadan.
In a discussion chaired by the Prime Minister held last Friday with the participation of the Minister of National Security, the head of the ISA, the Police Commissioner, and the Commander of the Jerusalem Precinct, Ben-Gvir took a firm stance that closing the Mount to Jews is another surrender and an unnecessary concession to the Arabs.
Ben-Gvir claimed that closing the Mount in the last ten days is not part of the status quo, and also that when Jews go up to the Mount, there are police forces in place to maintain order on the Mount. Security officials opposed this stance.
At the end of the discussion, the Prime Minister said that given the recommendation of security officials and the fact that there will be police on the Mount during the last ten days, it is possible to close the Mount to the entry of Jews during those days. Another situation assessment will be conducted on this matter during this week.