From the Liveblog of
Thursday, July 18, 2024
Ben Gvir visits flashpoint Temple Mount, urges PM ‘not to fold’ by accepting hostage deal
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
In a video recorded on the flashpoint Temple Mount in Jerusalem, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “not to fold” on a hostage deal with Hamas.
Speaking with the Dome of the Rock behind him, the far-right minister says that he has come “to the most important place for the State of Israel, for the people of Israel, to pray for the hostages to return home, but without a reckless deal, without surrender.”
“I am praying and am also working hard so that the prime minister will have the strength not to fold and go on to victory: to add military pressure, to stop their fuel — to win,” he declares.
Ben Gvir has repeatedly threatened to bolt the coalition if Netanyahu signs a hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas that ends the fighting in Gaza.
His comments also appear to serve as a sign to Netanyahu that he has not given up on changing the status quo at the contested Jerusalem holy site.
Last month, Ben Gvir announced that as far as he was concerned, Jewish prayer is now allowed on the Temple Mount — prompting a quick rebuff from Netanyahu’s office.
The Temple Mount is revered by Jews as the historic location of the two Jewish Temples, making it Judaism’s holiest site. It is also the third-holiest site for Muslims, who refer to it as Haram al-Sharif or the Noble Sanctuary.
