Knesset panel upholds ban on MKs visiting Temple Mount

The Knesset Ethics Committee upholds a ban on lawmakers of all faiths from visiting the flashpoint Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The decision is taken after a situation assessment by Jerusalem police chief Yarom Halevi, who tells the committee: “As of now — there is no change in the police position on the entry of Knesset members to the Mount.”

The panel says it will revisit the issue when there is a change in the position of the police and security establishment.

Netanyahu first ordered Jewish and Muslim lawmakers off the site late last year, after the outbreak in October of a wave of Palestinian violence and terror attacks centered around claims that Israel was attempting to take control of the Temple Mount.