At Ben Gvir hearing, judge casts doubt on PM’s claim of no change to Temple Mount status quo

Justice Isaac Amit casts doubt on the government’s claim that there has been no change in the status quo on the Temple Mount, during a hearing on the potential dismissal of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Amit asks Michael Rabilo, the lawyer representing the government, whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes that under Ben Gvir, there has been a change in the status quo at the flashpoint holy site. Rabilo confirms that Netanyahu believes the status quo remains intact.

“If I’m not mistaken, Minister Ben Gvir sort of flaunts the changes on the Temple Mount,” Amit responds, hinting at the apparent dissonance between the two politicians.

Ben Gvir, who oversees police, is attending a hearing on four petitions demanding his dismissal. The petitioners claim he has exerted unlawful influence over law enforcement during his term as minister.

Since he took office, police have become increasingly lax when it comes to Jewish worship on the Temple Mount, a tense holy site in Jerusalem venerated by both Jews and Muslims.

Under an informal agreement between Israel and Jordan, which administers the site, non-Muslim prayer is forbidden atop the Temple Mount. However, this is routinely flouted, with police permitting Jews to pray and even prostrate themselves in certain areas of the complex.

Ben Gvir himself has prayed several times at the site since becoming minister, and several days ago was seen singing at the steps leading up to the Dome of the Rock, sparking condemnation from Jordan.

Despite all this Netanyahu has repeatedly asserted there is no change to the status quo.