PM to hold meeting about Temple Mount after Ben Gvir’s claims of change to status quo — report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to hold a special meeting tomorrow on changes to the status quo on the Temple Mount, in light of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s repeated statements declaring that Jewish prayer is now permitted at the flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem.

According to Hebrew media reports, the meeting is being held at the urging of the security establishment and will be attended by the Defense, Foreign, Justice and Strategic Affairs ministers. National broadcaster Kan reported on Sunday that security officials have warned that changes to the status quo could lead to an escalation in attacks against Israel.

In August, Ben Gvir stood on the Temple Mount and, for the third time in as many months, declared the end to the longstanding status quo governing the contentious Jerusalem holy site. This prompted a quick rebuff from Netanyahu, who reasserted his support for restrictions on Jewish worship at the site where the two Jewish Temples once stood and which is now the home of the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque.

The vague status quo governing the compound allows Muslims to pray and enter with few restrictions, while non-Muslims, including Jews, can visit only during limited time slots via a single gate, with visibly religious Jews only allowed to walk on a predetermined route, closely accompanied by police. While Jews are not officially allowed to pray, police have increasingly tolerated limited prayer.

Under Ben Gvir, Jews, who in years past would have been removed for merely silently mouthing a prayer, have even begun prostrating themselves on the mount. He has also expressed support for a synagogue being placed atop the Temple Mount.

Religious Services Ministry director general Yehudah Avidan stated that “there is absolutely no budget for a synagogue on the Temple Mount” and there has been “no policy change,” Army Radio reported.