Amid continued and increasing violence at the Temple Mount, which is holy to both Jews and Muslims, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reassured Israelis that the status quo wouldn’t change.
Under the status quo, the Temple Mount is under control of the Muslim Waqf, as it has been since 1967, and only Muslims are permitted to pray at the site, though Jews and Christians may visit.
“… whoever expresses a different opinion is presenting a personal view and not the policy of the government,” Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev said in a Nov. 6 statement.
Israel reportedly has been reassuring foreign governments of its commitment to the status quo in recent days.
Since the Oct. 29 shooting of Temple Mount activist Rabbi Yehuda Glick, several right-wing lawmakers have visited the site.
Glick was on a respirator until Nov. 11, when he started breathing on his own.
Likud lawmaker Moshe Feiglin, who visited the Temple Mount in the wake of the Glick shooting, and who visits the site once a month, said that those who believe in sticking to the status quo “are giving a prize to terrorism and guarantee its escalation.” — jta